CR Athletics

The College of the Redwoods volleyball team opened conference play at Butte this week with a new head coach taking over midway through the season.

Kayla Costello has stepped in as interim head coach for the remainder of the season after first-year head coach Paul Castillo stepped down due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts and commitments.

“Although Paul’s time was brief with us I want to sincerely thank him for his efforts in putting together what has been an outstanding group of young women representing our volleyball program this fall,” CR Athletic Director Bob Brown said.

Costello is familiar with the program, having played and served as an assistant coach with the team in recent years.

“She has come and made the transition as  seamless as possible and the team continues to improve each week,” Brown said. “We are very fortunate to have her experience and guidance to step in through conference play and the remainder of the season.”

The Corsairs, who were 5-5 in the preseason under Castillo, lost their Golden Valley Conference opener at Butte, 15-25, 19-25, 26-24, 21-25 on Wednesday.

“The ladies played a tough Butte squad but matched up very well once they settled in,” said Brown, who served as the team’s assistant coach for the match. “We just didn’t quite get it to the fifth set.”

The CR women are now 0-1 in conference and 5-6 overall.

Next up, the Corsairs will host Feather River at CR on Wednesday at 6 p.m.