VISTA – Tri-City Christian girls volleyball coach Kristen Wright says she's not one for superficial relationships. The players she coaches aren't just students learning a game – they're members of her family, a tree that branches out with every new season.

DON KOHLBAUER / Union-Tribune Tri-City Christian volleyball player Alysia Baker (right) talked with her legal guardian and coach Kristen Wright at their Oceanside home last week as their dog McNabb looked on.

That's why Wright didn't bat an eye in opening her home to her senior middle blocker, Alysia Baker. It's why Alysia, despite meeting her coach just over a year ago (Wright took the position at Tri-City at the beginning of the 2006-07 school year), feels comfortable talking to her about everything from volleyball to boys to her Christian faith.

And it's why, when Alysia asked, Wright took the next step this summer, signing papers with her husband, Doug, that made the couple Alysia's legal guardians.

“Her mom (Cheryl) was really busy, so Alysia was home alone a lot,” Wright said. “She was spending a lot of time (at our house). Her mom agreed that it would be best and asked if we could help out. We have two extra bedrooms that aren't going to be used, and if we can help this family out, that's what we're going to do.”

In retrospect, Alysia says how she found her way to the Wrights' Oceanside home is less important than what she has found since her arrival. What began as a way to fill her after-school hours and the void left when her 16-year-old sister Shelby moved to Bakersfield to live with their father, Mike, has become much more.

Though they no longer live together, Alysia said her relationship with her mother has grown since the decision to move in with the Wrights. When Alysia proposed the move, the tears she shared with her mother came as a welcome change.

“It was actually a really good conversation. We had never talked on such an emotional level,” Alysia said. “It was kind of difficult for us to talk on a personal level. That's just something we've never done, with my sisters either. I learned some stuff about her, and she learned more about me. I feel that it's brought her and I closer together.”

Spread out as they are, the Baker women are finding quality time easier to come by than they used to. Though the face-to-face talks are less frequent, their conversations have a new weight.

“Every once in a while, my older sister (Nichole), my mom and I go out to lunch together,” Alysia said. “We just end up catching up on what's going on in everyone's lives because we're all doing something completely different. It's really cool.”

On the volleyball court, Alysia is all smiles. The Eagles are marching toward what they hope will be Tri-City's first state championship, and their middle blocker is at the heart of their success.

Off the court, her smile is just as bright, and it's reflected back by the Wrights, who are happy to become part of her growing family web.

“We're not replacing her mom or her dad, we're just Doug and Kristen, who are guiding her in her life right now and providing a home for her,” Wright said. “It's just like she's lived here all along. She fits right in.”

Maybe that's why the process has been almost too smooth. From the time they met last fall, coach and player were matching puzzle pieces.

“In a way, coach and I are very alike,” Alysia said. “She was someone I could talk to about anything. We could just sit on the couch and watch TV and laugh about silly things. It was something that just kind of happened, and it turned out to be really good.”

While the Wrights don't know when they'll have children of their own, the newest member of their household is already making next summer's departure for college a bittersweet notion.

“It's a special situation – not a lot of people get to have this,” Wright said. “Not a lot of people would have done this, and in turn, she's been a blessing to us. Alysia has an amazing life with a lot of support. She has a lot of people in her life, and we feel like we're just two of them.”

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