Tippecanoe Valley volleyball head coach Mallory Eaton is stepping down after seven seasons. (File photo by Mike Deak)

AKRON – It’s a decision a lot of coaches are faced with. More time with her kids, or more time with someone else’s kids.

Mallory Eaton is choosing her kids.

With one already a regular at Tippecanoe Valley volleyball games this past season, 17-month-old Maezell, and another girl on the way next spring, Eaton decided to step away from the Viking volleyball family to focus on her own.

“It was a really tough decision but I think it was the right one,” Eaton said Wednesday morning. She made her formal announcement earlier this week to her team and coaching staff. “I will miss it but needed to be done. Who knows, I may be back years from now.”

Eaton’s decision sees her leave the program after six seasons and the overseer of some of the best volleyball the program has ever seen. Coach of the top three scorers in Valley history in Makenzie Woodcox, Sophie Bussard and Caylie Teel, the trio rewrote the record books, both Woodcox and Bussard the only two to eclipse 1,000 career kills, Woodcox finishing with 1,096 kills for her career as the all-timer in that category.

Eaton also oversaw record-breaking moments from players like Hannah Engstrand for single-game assists and Shayleigh Shriver, who scored an amazing 25-straight service points to shut out Culver for an entire set.

In seven seasons as head coach of the Vikings, Eaton accumulated a 126-84 record which included three 20-win seasons (2016, 2017, 2019), this year’s team going 21-11. She also was responsible for creating the V2 volleyball club, which has not only created a pipeline, but found success as its grown.