Nico Petrucelli is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Cactus High School for AZpreps365.com

When Deb Martin retired from coaching in 2021, the opportunity for her granddaughter Addie Martin to play for her seemed to disappear. Four years later, Deb is back on the sidelines at Cactus.

Deb’s return to Cactus brought her coaching career full circle, taking her back to where it began nearly five decades earlier. Beyond getting the opportunity to coach her granddaughter, Deb has begun building relationships with a new group of players, continuing the connection with young women that has defined her coaching career and made volleyball such an important part of her life. 

Having raised only sons, Deb said volleyball gave her the opportunity to experience something she never had at home: daughters. 

“It’s like, I don’t have one daughter, two daughters, I have 50 million,” Deb said. “They’re all my daughters. I care about them. I follow them through their life, becoming adults and a lot of them came back to me and coached for me when I had my club.” 

Following her initial stint at Cactus, Deb started her own volleyball club, Club Arrowhead, and coached at Centennial and Liberty. While at Liberty, she coached alongside one of her former players, something she is doing again at Cactus with assistant coach Oriana McDonald.

After years of playing for and working alongside Deb, McDonald has also been able to observe how she coaches Addie. 

“The level and expectation of play for Addie is very high,” McDonald said. “And it’s because she knows what she is capable of. Just like when I played with her, I mean, she knows what you’re exactly capable of.”

Deb said that balancing being both Addie’s grandmother and coach can be hard, particularly because they are both very competitive. However, she also said that it has allowed them to become super close. 

“We talk a lot,” Deb said. “She spends the night at my house all the time, comes over all the time. She helps me with things around my house if I need help. Brings her friends over. She’s my buddy, but she’s also my granddaughter.”

For Addie, playing for her grandmother has been a different experience, but one she says has been really fun. 

“It’s nice to have a coach who can get serious with you, but also you know your connection is strong,” Addie said. 

Off the court, volleyball remains a major part of Addie and Deb’s relationship. Addie said the two are constantly talking about it, and that working through disagreements that stem from their time on the court together has served to strengthen their bond.

Jacob Martin, Addie’s brother, noted that there is a difference in her and her grandmother’s relationship on and off the court.

“I still think their relationship is very strong regardless of the coaching,” Jacob said. “But it does get a little more serious when it’s coaching.”

Amanda Martin, Addie’s mother, said she’s enjoyed being able to watch Addie and Deb’s dynamic now that their relationship involves a formal arrangement as coach and player. 

“I guess it’s just kind of more of the same,” Amanda said. “But now that it’s official, I think it’s been a really cool experience for me, as a mom, to watch it.”
For Addie’s father, Jake Martin, watching his daughter play volleyball for his mother was something he thought he’d never get to see following her retirement from the sport. 

“We got to see how excited Addie was to finally get the opportunity to play for her grandma,” Jake said. “And then when it finally happened, it was really exciting for me.”

The strong relationship between Addie and her grandmother has also helped her teammates develop a close bond with Deb.

“She’s kind of like another mom to all of us because she’s so close with us and tries to bond with us so much more,” said Ziara Pauli, a junior on the team. “Especially because that’s her grandma. So since they’re close, we are all kind of close like that.”

Skye Moore, a sophomore on the team, said that Addie and Deb’s relationship has made it easier to communicate as a team and fix mistakes on the court. She also said that Addie and Deb’s relationship has a positive impact on the team. 

“I think it’s helpful, because obviously she helps Addie be more of a leader,” Moore said. 

Beyond the relationships Deb has built with her players, the Cobras have also found success on the court. In her return to coaching last year, Deb led Cactus to their first region championship in 13 years. This year, they repeated as region champions after defeating Saguaro in their final matchup of the year, improving their overall record to 15-2 and their regional record to 10-2 as they prepare for the playoffs.

The Cobras are the No 4 seed in the 4A playoffs.