Legendary Fife volleyball and WIAA hall of fame coach Jan Kirk dies suddenly. She was 80

Jan Kirk, a WIAA and WSVCA hall of fame coach who totaled 671 victories and four state volleyball championships at Fife High School, died suddenly Thursday. She was 80.

Known for her unyielding expectation for excellence, Kirk's teams won 20 league titles and 14 West Central District crowns during her storied 24-year run (1987-2011) with her alma mater.

Fife won its first 3A title under Kirk in 1992 with All-American outside hitter Sarah Silvernail leading the way. The Trojans beat Kennedy Catholic in the finals.

That triggered a run of four state titles in the 1990s. Fife also won titles in 1995, 1996 and 1999.

"Jan Kirk was the standard all Pierce County volleyball coaches, and coaches around the state were trying to achieve," said Tony Batinovich, the former hall-of-fame coach at Puyallup High School. "She was a true legend in Washington state high school athletics."

But her influence extended past the high school season. In 1989, Kirk and her son, Kelly, founded the Puget Sound Volleyball Club, which quickly became one of the state's destination points for year-round training - and playing.

Even in retirement, Kirk had an influence on Fife athletics. Five years ago, she helped rebrand the school's Trojan logo, making it a more equitable representation of sports around the high school.

"She advocated for women in sports so much," Fife athletic director Shane Nixon said.

Kirk was also elected into the Pierce Country Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

(Photo courtesy of Marc Blau/Tacoma Athletic Commission)