Cristina Williams Builds Champions and Confidence at Cascade

For Cristina Williams, success at Cascade High School means more than a state volleyball championship: It means watching unsure freshmen grow into confident, strong young women. She has coached at Cascade for 17 years. Her competitive drive comes with a commitment to developing people, making the lessons players take beyond the court as important to her as the results they earn on it.

That approach comes from Williams’ own experience growing up with volleyball. The sport gave her an outlet, along with confidence, discipline, friendships and a sense of belonging. It helped shape who she became, and her passion for the game now informs what she wants her athletes to gain from playing it.

Williams loves to win, but her coaching philosophy starts with building strong women as well as skilled volleyball players. She emphasizes confidence, resilience and discipline, encouraging athletes not to give up mentally when challenges arise. Team culture is central to that work. Trust, accountability, communication and respect are frequent topics, with an emphasis on being great teammates. She wants the program to feel like a family in which every player matters and everyone works toward something bigger than themselves.

The Cougars have paired those priorities with state-level achievements during her tenure. Cascade finished second at state in 2013 and sixth in 2014 before winning the first state volleyball championship in program history in 2021. The team followed that breakthrough with second place in 2022, third in 2023, sixth in 2024 and fifth in 2025.

Cristina Williams, the most rewarding progress is also personal. She values seeing athletes develop confidence over their years in the program, not simply collecting banners and trophies. Her perspective extends beyond graduation: Former players have continued playing volleyball in college, become coaches and found success in life outside the sport.