Brie Isaacson was playing in a volleyball match in an adult league in 2003 when one of her teammates said Naperville Central was looking for a varsity coach and she should apply.

Isaacson, an assistant at Wheaton Warrenville South at the time, wasn’t interested. But her teammate, who taught at Naperville Central, told then-athletic director Marty Bee about her. Bee called Isaacson the next day to schedule an interview.

“I got off the phone, I looked at (husband) Chad and said, ‘There’s no way I’m going. I don’t want to be a high school coach,’ ” Isaacson said. “He’s like, ‘Why did you set that up?’ Because I never thought it was actually going to happen.

“Chad convinced me to go to the interview just so I could get some interviewing experience. We laugh about that today.”

Isaacson got the job. She was 23.

“There was two things I remember knowing at 23 years old,” she said. “First, you had to work as hard or harder than your opponent if you wanted to be successful. The other thing is I couldn’t ask my kids or coaches to do anything that I wasn’t willing to do myself.

“Past that, I didn’t really know what I was doing.”

Yet the Redhawks won their first state championship in 2005, Isaacson’s third season. Two years later, they won a second state title.

It was the start of a stellar career in which Isaacson posted a 413-157 record in two stints over 18 seasons at Naperville Central. Isaacson, who was inducted into the Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021, ended that career last week when she stepped down to spend more time with her family.

The announcement was greeted with a little sadness and a lot of gratitude from players and colleagues alike.

“It’s bittersweet,” Naperville Central athletic director Jeff Plackett said. “Brie and I started at about the same time. When you work with people in a variety of different capacities over the years, you get to know each other and each other’s families.

“I’m sad I won’t see my friend Brie at courtside next year. But at the same time, I’m excited for my friend Brie because … when you’re the head coach of a program, especially one like volleyball at an elite school, it is a year-round commitment, and it takes away time from your own family. I’m really happy for her to have that time, but I’m obviously bummed for us.”

Isaacson, 44, stepped down once before when her oldest son, Quinn, started high school. He plays professional volleyball in Poland and is a member of the U.S. national team.

Isaacson returned to coaching with a two-year stint at Providence before returning to Naperville Central in 2017.

Now Isaacson wants to spend more time watching her daughter, Grier, who will play soccer at Ball State, and her son Easton, a Plainfield North sophomore who plays football and volleyball.

Isaacson’s longtime assistant, Todd Holmberg, said she treated all of her players like family.

“Her goal is helping young female athletes become strong, confident women,” Holmberg said. “She uses volleyball to get young females to be that. She’s incredibly good at getting the most from every athlete, and I think that’s because they know that she cares about them.”

Senior right-side hitter Georgia Von Lehmden confirmed that.

“She loves to see us succeed, but she genuinely has shown and proven that she cares about all of her players equally as people and puts our well-being over everything else,” Von Lehmden said. “She’s an incredibly selfless coach who has dedicated countless hours of her precious time to us so that we’re able to compete, so all of our success stems from coach Brie.”

Isaacson said her coaching journey taught her that personal relationships allow for exponential growth. That was the case for Von Lehmden, who called Isaacson her favorite and best coach.

“She took the time to build a personal connection with me and learn about my upbringing and how she can help in any way she could to build me up,” Von Lehmden said. “She wanted to prepare us for the challenges that are to come, to realize that there’s so much more of our lives that we have to live and the mindset that comes with that.”

Von Lehmden intends to study advertising and marketing and minor in psychology in college so she can help people, and that’s not the only interest Isaacson sparked in her.

“I’m also — because of Brie — looking into coaching, to giving back to the players just as she did,” Von Lehmden said. “My time with the sport might be over, but I’m more than willing to follow in Brie’s footsteps to uplift the next generation of amazing volleyball players and continue her legacy.”

The willingness of players like Von Lehmden to pay it forward could be Isaacson’s most significant legacy.

“Although I am very sad to see her not coach Central volleyball any more, I know the countless hours and years that she’s put into our program will last forever,” Von Lehmden said.

“I really hope that the next head coach can take what she’s built and expand upon it because she is the foundation of Naperville Central girls volleyball.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.