Redwood High School hired two new head coaches for girls varsity programs for the 2026 season, tapping Isabella Ultsch to lead volleyball and Michael Zlatoper to run flag football.

Ultsch becomes the fourth volleyball coach in five years for a program that won the MCAL championship in 2025, according to a Redwood Bark profile published Monday, Sept. 14. She told the student newspaper she brings a fresh perspective but plans to uphold the program's competitive standard, including preparing players headed to the college level.

The Giants rallied from a two-set deficit to beat Marin Catholic for that 2025 MCAL title, their first since 2015, and earned the No. 1 seed in the North Coast Section (NCS) Open Division playoffs, the Marin Independent Journal reported.

Ultsch inherits that momentum. The team opened the 2026 season Aug. 10 and stood at 1-2 after a five-set loss to Carondelet on Aug. 27 before picking up a win against Windsor.

Zlatoper, whose children attend Redwood and who calls the Corte Madera and Larkspur area his community, takes over the flag football program in its second season. He co-founded the Marin Heat, a nonprofit club flag football organization. According to the Marin Heat's website, the club in its current form was created in early 2024 through a merger of two Marin-based travel teams

"Redwood's kind of my community. It's where all of my friends and their kids go," Zlatoper told the Redwood Bark. He said the Corte Madera and Larkspur area feels like home. "I was thrilled when the opportunity opened up, and I was able to come in and contribute to my community directly."

During the 2025 season, Zlatoper coached at San Rafael High School. San Marin won the inaugural MCAL flag football title that year, beating San Rafael 32-0.

Zlatoper said his goal for 2026 is winning the MCAL title. The Giants are competing in NCS Division I for the first time. He built the roster with six seniors, six juniors, six sophomores and six freshmen to balance short-term competitiveness with long-term program growth.

Both seasons began Aug. 10 at Redwood. The MCAL volleyball playoff championship is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23 at Redwood High School.