The future of the Normal West volleyball program is beginning with a new sport being added: boys volleyball.
On Feb. 5, Normal West announced Aimee Biles as the new head coach for the brand new program.
Biles started her volleyball journey here in town at Bloomington High School, playing for current Head Coach Joe Sanders.
She explored many different sports, including swimming in her senior year of high school, rugby, and even fencing at the United States Naval Academy.
Her coaching journey began at Metro VBC in Washington, D.C, where she began as a volunteer who threw balls at practice but who ended up receiving a paid assistant coaching position later.
After coaching at Metro VBC, she went on to coach at San Antonio Force Blue Steel VBC, Normal Flight VBC, and at Hudson Elementary.
Biles even created her own club, Normal Flight VBC, which has both boys and girls teams.
“I’ve always wanted to give back, and coaching volleyball truly is the best. The game emulates real life – you’ve got to move on to the next point, no matter what just happened,” Biles explained.
As a coach, Biles is known to preach teammates supporting and uplifting one another on the court. Her passion is something that head girls coach, Kelsey Mueller is excited to see.
“Her Energy, passion, and drive are unmatched, and I can’t wait to see the growth of the program under her leadership,” Mueller stated.
The team will not officially take the court as a recognized team until the 2027 season. However, Biles is working on completing her coaching roster.
She is also looking to start the 2026 “unofficial” season to give athletes experience such as open gyms and summer programming.
“We’re currently working to finalize the coaching roster, getting summer camps going, and getting the spring 2026 unofficial season going!” Biles said.
All of this planning will help get the sport introduced to Normal West athletes looking to play for the official 2027 team.
Coach Biles has had many years of experience coaching both the women’s and men’s side of the sport, but there is a distinct difference when coaching different genders.
“Boys and girls’ volleyball is the same sport – but it’s also so different. Boys play so differently and so intensely. They don’t hold back,” she noted.
There is much development that she has seen through coaching the boys through Normal Flight VBC.
“They are forced to face the vulnerable side of team sports. Seeing the boys grow and watching them learning to love the game in real time has been everything!” Biles stated.
Biles also stressed that the main focus isn’t being the best at volleyball. Instead, it’s about building leaders that can translate their skills off the court and into the community.
“I’m confident that our program will help develop the leaders of tomorrow in Bloomington-Normal. The athletes are the main priority – giving them an extra opportunity to grow and develop as amazing humans,” she added.
The Normal West boys volleyball program is starting from the ground, which means the possibilities for success are high.
“We have some athletes that have had the opportunity to play for a while, and we’re also going to have a lot of athletes that have never touched a volleyball outside of PE class. We’re going to need to focus on the basics,” She said.
Normal West athletics is excited for this new opportunity for students!
For more/new information, look to Normal West Volleyball Instagram: @normal_west_volleyball.
