In this edition of our Women in Athletics series, we head north to Sioux Falls to reconnect with a familiar name — though perhaps not the same last name some remember from her playing days.
Full Interview
To many who watched her compete in college, she was Darci Bouma. Today, she is Darci Wassenaar, and for nearly a quarter century she has served as the head volleyball coach at Sioux Falls Christian School.
"I've been there about 24 years," Wassenaar said. "After our senior year of college, my husband Brian and I moved to Sioux Falls, and I've been coaching ever since."
For Wassenaar, athletics wasn't something she discovered — it was something she was born into.
"I honestly don't remember a time without athletics," she said.
Her father was a high school coach and teacher at Unity Christian High School, and the gym served as a second home. Long before organized practices and varsity matches, there were evenings spent playing pickup games, chasing balls during drills, and simply soaking in the rhythms of a coach's life.
"We were at Unity all the time when I was little," she recalled. "My dad would play with us, work with us. My siblings and I — and other teachers' kids — we'd just be in the gym messing around. I loved that life."
That love for sport gradually grew into something more intentional during her high school years. Competitive by nature and drawn to the relationships around her, Wassenaar began to recognize the impact her coaches and teachers had made.
"I just remember thinking, I know the impact they've had on me, and I would like to have that impact on young people as well," she said. "I couldn't imagine life without sports in it."
Her father remains her most significant influence — not only as a coach, but as an example of what it looks like to balance coaching and family life. In a unique twist, she even played basketball for him during her senior year at Dordt University.
But she is quick to credit a long list of mentors who shaped her philosophy.
She learned from longtime coach Wayne Westenberg the importance of integrating faith and athletics. She was influenced by Mr. Beimers, who coached softball and track, and by Coach Van Den Bosch at Dordt — each with distinct personalities and approaches.
"They were all a little different," Wassenaar said. "You learn that every coach can have a different style. But I had a lot of respect for each of them."
Those varying styles helped her understand that effective coaching isn't one-size-fits-all. It's about authenticity, preparation, and relationships.
Over the course of 24 seasons, Wassenaar has not only built a volleyball program — she has raised four boys. One is now in college, others are in high school, and one is still in middle school.
Balancing family life with the demands of coaching has required sacrifice and partnership.
"I got it done because my husband was amazing," she said. "Brian was always okay that I coached. He was really good taking care of the boys, especially when they were young."
Her sons grew up around the program. One even served as a team manager for several seasons. Practices, matches, and team events were woven into the rhythm of family life.
"That was kind of the life we were living," she said with a smile.
As Wassenaar approaches a quarter century on the sidelines, her influence now extends beyond her own roster.
While she may not overtly tell her players to pursue coaching, she creates opportunities for them to explore it. Through youth volleyball programs, AAU teams, and camps, many of her high school athletes get their first taste of mentoring younger players.
"That's a great way for them to see if they enjoy it," she said. "You start to notice which ones it comes naturally to."
Perhaps most rewarding is seeing former players return to join her staff.
"Most of my assistant coaches are past graduates who played for me," Wassenaar said. "They come back, they're working in the area, and then they're coaching in our program. That's been a true blessing."
It is legacy in motion — players shaped by her mentorship now shaping others.
After more than two decades, Wassenaar could have chosen another path. Coaching demands long hours, emotional investment, and relentless energy. So why stay?
"I love working with young people," she said. "I love teaching the skill, the strategy, the motivational part. I love being competitive."
But beneath the X's and O's lies something deeper.
"The biggest part is I love the Lord," she said. "Coaching is such a unique opportunity to connect with young people in a different setting than the classroom. It opens up doors for great conversations, for walking through life with them."
For Wassenaar, volleyball is not separate from faith — it is an avenue for living it out.
"How do we make it about Jesus and glorify Him?" she said. "What does that look like in sports? That's the most important part."
It is that conviction — more than trophies or win totals — that has sustained her for 24 years and counting.
And even as one season ends, another is already beginning to take shape.
"Yes," she said with a laugh, "we're already thinking about next season."
For Darci Wassenaar, athletics has never simply been a game. It has been a calling — lived out in gyms, in conversations, in mentorship, and in faithfulness over time.
