Some of the more enduring images of the BOHS boys’ varsity volleyball’s current 34-game season are of head coach Kavita Arasu on the sideline with arms crossed or finger pointing to a space on the floor (or to an empty seat on the bench), or eyes locked on the action of one of her team’s 25 wins. 

Arasu’s steady, exacting presence on the Wildcats’ bench reflects the team’s consistency — 44 wins in two years and back-to-back second round appearances in CIF, including a 3-1 win over Aliso Niguel High School in the Wildcat gym on April 30.

Running two programs of over 80 athletes — she is also the head coach of the girls’ varsity team — Arasu points to “the blood, sweat and tears” it takes to build the most successful volleyball team in school history.

Arasu’s playing career began in the fifth grade, blossomed at Fairmont Preparatory Academy, then culminated at NCAA Division 2 San Francisco State University.

“Volleyball [was] my happy place during those years,” Arasu said.

Volleyball had long structured her daily life so when she graduated, so did the routines and the feeling of community that came with it.

“After my volleyball career was over, I found it difficult to find new things to do that I enjoyed,” Arasu said. “I really missed the volleyball world.”

Arasu found a way to stay connected to the sport she loved so much: coaching. Participating in clinics across Los Angeles and Orange County, then coaching girls’ volleyball at Arcadia High School, Arasu was back in the game. 

In 2022, Arasu stepped into the head coaching role for both the boys’ and girls’ programs at BOHS after being introduced to the district by her younger sister, Aishvina Asaru (‘12), who played on the girls’ volleyball team. 

Leading two programs is a role that demands constant attention. For Arasu, volleyball is a “year-round gig.” In addition to leading practices and managing games, Arasu’s day-to-day responsibilities include working with her programs’ booster clubs, collaborating with assistant coach Mark De Leon (‘16), keeping tabs on a few dozen student-athletes, and communicating with BOHS’s athletic directors. The workload never slows. 

“When it’s girls’ season, I have to think three months ahead of the boys’ season and plan,” Arasu said. “When it’s boys’ season, I’m planning for summer season with the girls.”

Most of Arasu’s time, however, is spent developing her players. 

Many of this year’s seniors on the boys’ team had little to no experience playing volleyball competitively when they arrived at BOHS, Arasu’s inaugural season as head coach. Despite finishing 4-16, Arasu’s positive attitude and high-energy style of coaching hooked the novice players. 

“She made the sport so enjoyable that players wanted to come back,” Kaeden Vasquez (’26) said. “She’s a huge reason why our program is so successful and why it’s grown so much.”

“These seniors started in this program with me,” Arasu said. “They wanted more. They wanted to compete. They wanted to have fun, but still conquer new challenges.”

According to opposite hitter Brysen Byrnes (‘26), Arasu’s coaching style is both lighthearted and demanding, as she builds trust with the boys through humor while still holding them accountable amidst the high expectations that comes from league titles. 

“She’s funny but she still gets the job done,” Byrnes said. “She’s disciplined when she has to, but she’ll also mess around with us.”

The results were historic. 

For the first time in program history, BOHS boys’ volleyball is a league champion. And last season, the Wildcats set multiple program records, reaching the CIF-Southern Section final and advancing two rounds in the state championship.

These achievements reflect years of steady growth. The season before Kavita arrived, the Wildcats were 0-6 in North Hills League, with an overall record of 1-18.

“We’d been known as a ‘joke’ program…so seeing the team grow has been amazing,” Vasquez said.

For Arasu, though, the wins and new banners in the gym aren’t the biggest highlight.

“The best thing is seeing how happy these boys are to just show up and play,” Arasu said. “I look forward to seeing [them], because even on a lousy day, they brighten it up with their shenanigans.”

Arasu says one of the most rewarding parts of coaching is hearing from former players, like 2025 graduates Addison Altermatt, Kendal Ewing, Daniel Salazar, and Cashus Smith who still reach out to tell her how volleyball shaped their lives.

And sometimes, the bonds she forms with her athletes show up in small ways like the boys’ team gifting her a custom Funko Pop wearing a helmet, a lighthearted nod to the many volleyballs she’s taken to the head over the years.

Arasu has created more than a winning program; she created a culture, one that turned doubt into belief, and a group of athletes into a history-making team. 

“She’s made us so much better as players and people and that’s why she’s a really good coach,” outside hitter Jeremiah Ammerman (‘26) said.

Boys’ volleyball faces Norco High School in the second round of CIF tonight at  Norco.