Kolby Shewell, the coach who guided Lehi boys volleyball to a 6A state title last spring, will now lead the Pioneer girls program.
Lehi High School announced Shewell's appointment as head girls volleyball coach, according to the Lehi Free Press. He succeeds Alise Bowles, who resigned at the end of the season. Bowles will continue to teach at the school.
Athletic Director Quincy Lewis said the program is positioned for a step forward.
"Alise came into this position needing to rebuild our program," Lewis said. "Three years later we have a solid foundation moving into next season with all of our girls returning."
Lewis added that Shewell "knows the returning group of girls well which will help immensely in taking the next step with the program."
That returning group finished 11-11 overall and 0-8 in Region 3 play this past season, according to the Lehi Free Press. The Pioneers had no seniors on the roster, meaning the entire squad comes back.
Shewell has coached the Pioneer boys volleyball team for three seasons, since the sport became UHSAA-sanctioned. His boys squad posted a 25-2 record in 2026 and beat No. 1 seed Bingham in five sets to win the 6A championship on May 7 at UVU's UCCU Center, as reported by the Daily Herald. He will continue coaching the boys team as well.
"I'm excited to jump in and coach the girls team at Lehi," Shewell said. "I was blessed to be able to work with Alise as a colleague at Lehi and as a parent to a player on her team. She built a great program, and I have some big shoes to fill."
Shewell said he has been around the girls program for years, having coached the current group of seniors when they were in junior high. He acknowledged managing both programs will be a challenge but called it a familiar scenario from other settings.
A volleyball family
The Shewell household runs deep in the sport. His son Ashton was named 2026 Utah Mr. Volleyball as a junior at the Deseret News High School Sports Awards on June 8 and will lead the Pioneers' boys title defense this spring. His older daughter Avery graduated from Lehi High in 2022 and was a three-year All-State player before finishing her career at Utah Valley University, where she earned 2025 WAC Player of the Year honors. His wife Adrianne is a former collegiate volleyball player, and both parents have been club coaches for years.
"There is a lot of talent in this program," Shewell said. "I have a good group of experienced coaches ready to jump in with me to help grow this program as well."
The girls team returns several all-region players, including first-team selections Laken Bell and Aliya Shewell, along with second-team honorees Aftyn Hurst and Pais Brems. Lucy Lowe received honorable mention.
Lehi's boys volleyball season begins in the spring, with the girls season starting next fall.
