From cold call in February to playoffs in May, 1st-year coach sparks North Hills volleyball

By: Josh Rowntree
Saturday, May 17, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Jimi Yu’s shot in the dark has turned into quite the decision for the North Hills boys volleyball program.

Yu, in his first year leading the Indians, guided a breakthrough season for a program that has been frequently irrelevant come playoff time.

“This was our first time making the playoffs since 1998,” said Yu, a longtime coach in the Columbus, Ohio, area before joining North Hills this winter.

His path to North Hills was a bit unconventional.

New to the area, Yu passed by North Hills High School while out driving one day. He called the school up to inquire about coaching opportunities, and bizarrely enough, there was one.

“I wasn’t expecting a head coach position,” Yu said. “I just wanted to get back to coaching and help out. When I called, they needed a head coach. I thought about it. It was February and pretty late for them to not have a coach. I decided to take it and started learning about how volleyball is run here.”

Yu’s journey to North Hills goes beyond a simple drive down Rochester Road.

At 14 years old, he immigrated to the United States from Taiwan when his father got a job with Goodyear in Akron.

A self-taught volleyball player, he eventually worked his way into competitive men’s leagues in central Ohio while coaching at Westerville Central High School.

“I wanted to become a citizen,” he said. “So I stayed in Ohio for that, and once I became a citizen, I wanted to get away because it was the only place I had been. The team was stable. For the longest time, I felt like if I left, they wouldn’t have a team. But now they’re stable.”

What’s happened since he got to Western Pennsylvania has been a bit transformational for the Indians’ program. The team finished the regular season 8-9, but 8-2 in Section 4-3A, setting up a first round playoff game against Latrobe on May 12.

The Wildcats defeated an Indians group that put up a fight in straight sets.

Still, the season was a significant turnaround for a group that won just two section games a year prior.

“I really don’t know much about the past coaching, but this year, the boys have said that it’s been a bit more relaxed,” Yu said. “They’re able to have fun and feel more supported. I want to be here to support them while they play the sport they love.”

Yu also has benefited from a dedicated group of players who wanted to get better even before he arrived. That group includes seniors Zach Malavite and Brady Davidson.

“Zach is a key player, a key senior who everybody looks up to,” Yu said. “He’s also just a good, all-around player. He’s the first guy I noticed before I even took the coaching job. I noticed his ball control was so good when I watched the videos.

“He and Brady play club (volleyball) together, too. Those two guys lead.”

Senior Brady McCall has shifted positions seamlessly, while Daniel Fuchs is a bench player who is the team’s heartbeat.

“He’s very unique,” Yu said of Fuchs. “In all my years coaching, I’ve never seen a nonstarter be the person who the team looks to for morale. It says a lot about him.”

Max Jarrock is a “phenomenal” sophomore with 56 regular season service aces, most coming before his 15th birthday, according to Yu.

“They all work very hard,” Yu said. “The middle school team is right with us, too. Everybody works together. The boys are very driven and have experience playing. They have higher volleyball skill than my team in Ohio. I’d have players who never played before. But here, from day one, everyone who comes to the gym knows the game.”

And that’s the bedrock for Yu’s program now. He knows that the margins between bad and average, and good and great, can be pretty thin. So his goal is to keep his team sharp for each time it steps on the floor.

So far, he’s seen the payoff.

“It’s been a great experience,” he said. “No one on the team is easy to beat. If we didn’t show up, we’d be right there at the bottom. But our guys are competitors.”

Tags: North Hills