CONWAY, S.C. — A three-sport competitor in high school, Rachel Doutt knew she never wanted to leave athletics.

She didn't exactly want to leave the area, either.

Now she's happy she did.

The 2009 Butler graduate was recently named Region 6-AAAAA Volleyball Coach of the Year in South Carolina after leading Conway High School to the runner-up spot in the region and a second consecutive trip to the state playoffs.

“I'm super proud of her,” Butler volleyball coach Meghan Lucas said. “Rachel is a great coach and a great person. I feel like a proud mom.”

Doutt completed her second year as Conway's head volleyball coach and her fifth year in the program. She coached the JV team for three years.

“I love it down here,” she said. “I have no intentions of leaving. It's just a beautiful area and the people have been great.”

Doutt owns a house in Myrtle Beach. Conway High School is 15 minutes from there.

“My family vacationed here quite a bit,” she said. “Now my parents are moving down here. Most of my family will wind up here.”

Doutt is a math teacher at a middle school that feeds into Conway High School in Horry County. She is head of the math department in her school.

She also coaches a club volleyball team.

“I've been coaching most of the top girls in this region,” she said.

After competing in volleyball, basketball and track and field at Butler, Doutt played volleyball and basketball for two years at Butler County Community College. She played club volleyball at Slippery Rock University, where she received her degree in education.

“I've known I wanted to be a teacher since I was young,” Doutt said. “And I knew I never wanted to leave sports. I've always played and I know the values kids can get from sports.

“I wanted to teach the love of sports to the younger generation.”

While working as a student teacher at Moniteau, Doutt coached junior high girls basketball there. She went on to coach junior varsity girls basketball at Knoch and junior high volleyball at Butler while searching for her future in teaching.

After spending a year looking for a full-time teaching job in the Butler County area, she decided to expand her horizons.

“Long-term subbing was OK, but I wanted my own classroom,” Doutt said.

She applied for a teaching job at Conway in late June of 2015. She heard back by July 4.

“We went on a vacation down there, I interviewed in person and was hired on the spot,” Doutt said.

“I consider Meghan Lucas one of my role models. She was hard on us, she meant business on the court, but at the same time, you could go talk to her about anything. She was like a second mom to me. That's the way I want to be viewed as a coach.”

Lucas isn't surprised by Doutt's early success in coaching. Doutt has been part of five successive state tourney appearances by Conway's varsity volleyball team.

“I knew she'd get into coaching,” Lucas said. “When she was here, she was always asking me questions about it.

“Rachel understands the game and she knows how to work with teenagers. That's a big part of it.”

Conway was 12-6 this year. The Tigers won six straight matches before losing 3-1 (20-25, 19-25, 25-23, 19-25) in the first round of the playoffs to eventual state champion Wando. Her team had only three seniors on the roster.

“This program has been totally turned around,” Doutt said. “Between (previous head coach) Julie Livingston and myself, we've been to the playoffs five straight times. Before Julie took the job, the program hadn't been to the playoffs for a long time.”

Lucas expects Conway's run of success to continue with Doutt at the helm.

“I'm excited to see what she's done already,” the Butler coach. “Rachel is going to do great things.”