They say age is nothing but a number.

Local volleyball coaches Brittany Wannschaff (née Roberts) and Megan Kosel have proven that adage to be true.

Not even three years out of high school, the 21-year-old Wannschaff took over Entiat’s volleyball program early this season after leading Cashmere’s C-squad in 2008. And she’s not the only young coach in the North Central Washington coaching ranks — the 22-year-old Kosel, a former team captain at Pacific Lutheran University, is in her second year of rebuilding Cashmere’s program.

In the short time they’ve spent at their respective posts, the two mentors have shown a great deal of leadership qualities that may seem uncharacteristic to their ages.

“It doesn’t matter what age you are. If you know the game and love the game, you’ll be able to teach the game,” says Wannschaff.

“I may be 22, but I don’t think that numbers are everything,” says Kosel, whose Bulldogs are 3-6 in Caribou Trail League play this season. “Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you can’t be a good coach.”

Their coaching abilities have not gone unnoticed.

“They’re both fine coaches. I’m very impressed with both of their knowledge bases at their age,” says Scott Brown, the Cashmere athletic director who hired both in 2008.

Wannschaff and Kosel both had aspirations to coach early on, and that resulted in each coaching youth sports while in high school. Still, their paths to head coaching positions were a little different.

Kosel was a star at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, then moved on to PLU, where she was a second-team All-Northwest Conference selection as a senior during the 2007-08 season. From there, her next move was taking the job at Cashmere, where she helped the Bulldogs snap a 57-match losing streak.

“We had no apprehension at all (about Kosel’s age) once she came in through the interview process,” says Brown. “She is a phenomenal wealth of information.”

“As a player I was really passionate about volleyball,” Kosel says. “Having had good coaches in the past, I wanted to pass that along to younger players. It’s not a surprise to me that I’m a head coach at such a young age.”

Wanschaff, who spent her freshman through junior years at Puyallup High School, played volleyball for Cashmere as a senior and graduated from the school in 2007.

When she found out the Bulldogs’ program was looking for a C-squad coach in 2008, she jumped at the opening.

“I’ve wanted to coach since I was little,” Wannschaff says. “I knew as soon as the opportunity arose I was going to take it, but I never expected at 19 I would be coaching.”

“I was very impressed with Brittany’s maturity and willingness to learn,” says Brown.

Taking on the program at Entiat was based more on circumstance, however. Wannschaff, who is a student at Pierce College, decided to take the fall semester off while her husband, Army soldier Levi Wannschaff, is stationed in South Carolina. Living with her in-laws in Cashmere, she was looking for something to do. Lucky for her, Entiat just happened to need a coach.

Along with assistant coach Jodee Hickman, a 2008 graduate of Eastmont High School, Wannschaff has led a young and inexperienced squad to a pair of wins so far this season. The 19-year-old Hickman may have taken the head coaching job before Wannschaff came along, but Washington state law requires high school head coaches to be at least 21.

“We have two young gals (Wannschaff and Hickman) that can relate exceptionally well to the girls,” says Entiat athletic director Miles Caples. “They’re excellent role models, and the girls are enjoying the season thoroughly.”

“Both my assistant and I want to build a program. We don’t want to be here just for one year,” says Wannschaff.

Kosel and Wannschaff each have seen benefits to being a young coach.

“(Hickman) and I play with my girls every single practice,” says Wannschaff. “We can show them exactly what they need to do instead of tell them.”

“I’m able to serve to the girls, hit with them, and hit at them so they can get more reps,” Kosel says. “I can run around and save the ball and keep their drill going from them. Sometimes I have to stop and catch my breath, but being able to run around gives us more options for drills.”

As helpful as the small gap in age is between the coaches and players, Kosel and Wannschaff have to work to make sure their players treat them like coaches, not peers.

“Being a young coach, you have to establish boundaries between you and the players right away,” says Kosel. “The younger you are as a coach, the more players talk to you like a friend, so you have to start off day one with expectations and rules.”

“I just asked my girls (Tuesday) night, ‘Who likes me better off the court than on the court?,’ and not one girl didn’t raise their hand,” says Wannschaff. “They know when they’re on the court it’s serious time.”