Stephen Bernabe Named New Head Men’s Volleyball Coach
With great excitement and anticipation, the Providence Christian College athletic department announces the start of a men's volleyball program for the fall of 2024. With the start of that new program, we proudly introduce Stephen Barnabe as the new head men's volleyball coach. Coach Bernabe will be the first ever men's volleyball coach in Providence Sea Beggars program history.
Growing up, Coach Bernabe participated in a wide range of sports, but primarily basketball and volleyball as he got older. Towards the end of high school he decided to focus his time on volleyball and ended up playing collegiately at El Camino College, where he still holds the record of 31 digs in a single match. After that, he wanted to take a chance and play outside the United States, so he trained for a few years working towards that goal. However, he ended up having a fluke accident, which resulted in a brain aneurysm, forever changing the trajectory of his life. Bernabe said that this monumental event saved his life, as the doctors were able to find the cause early and correct it. Unfortunately, this also meant that his playing career would come to an end for both indoor and beach volleyball. Once his body had healed, Bernabe returned to school to finish his degree and decided to focus on a career in coaching.
Coach Bernabe has now coached for 16 years, with 11 of those years at the collegiate level. Most recently, he has spent the past four years coaching the women's indoor volleyball team at California State University, Los Angeles assisting that program's rise to national prominence. Bernabe says, "Cal State LA will always be a second home to me, and I am so proud of their 2023 National Championship win." At the high school level, Bernabe has been a part of six California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championship games and has had the fortune of winning four CIF championships in those six games. He has also coached multiple clubs and has held various roles as coach and administrator for several clubs.
When asked about his thoughts on coaching at Providence Christian College and starting a new sport in program history, Bernabe responded, "The thing I am most looking forward to at Providence is being a head coach and guiding the next generation to be successful in life. I feel my mission in life is to use sports as a tool to help people. At this college, that comes in the form of growing in their faith, completing their degree, and going out into the world as the best version of themselves. I am blessed to have this opportunity and very excited to be the first coach in program history." Interim Director of Athletics, Eddie Arnett, stated about Bernabe, "I am thrilled that we are starting a men's volleyball program and that Stephen Bernabe will be the program's first head coach. Stephen is a man of deep faith in the Lord, with a passion to lead young people toward Jesus using the sport of volleyball. He will guide our young men with integrity and grit and we know that the future is bright under Coach Bernabe's leadership."
Please be sure to greet Coach Stephen Bernabe with a big Providence welcome when you see him on campus. If you are a prospective student-athlete and would like to express interest in playing volleyball at Providence, please email Bernabe at stephen.bernabe@providencecc.edu.