International Volleyball

Nebraska, UCLA among programs riding on NCAA volleyball coaching carousel

Nebraska, UCLA among programs riding on NCAA volleyball coaching carousel

In the two weeks since our last report, the NCAA volleyball coaching carousel has been spinning. A couple of indoor teams have head coaches, another has a vacancy, two beach programs announced head coaches, and, to the surprise of probably no one, Olympian Jordan Larson is going to join the Nebraska staff as its third assistant.

DENVER HIRES PENDERGRAST: Megan Pendergast, a long-time assistant at UCLA, Oklahoma and Tulsa, is the new coach at Denver. She takes over a program that saw coach Tom Hogan step down April 6. He missed most of last season with medical issues.

Pendergrast, who was at UCLA the past three seasons, takes over a program that finished 19-12 last season, 12-6 in The Summit League. Denver has been to the NCAA Tournament six times, from 2014-19.

Pendergrast played two seasons at Nebraska before finishing as a libero at Texas A&M. This is her first college head-coaching job.

DARTMOUTH TABS CAMPBELL: The Ivy League school hired veteran Kevin Maureen Campbell, who was at VCU the past three seasons and served as interim head coach in 2022. Campbell’s resume includes stops at NC State, San Diego State, Colorado, North Florida (as head coach) and Penn State. She played at Omaha.

She takes over a team that has never been to the NCAA Tournament. Dartmouth finished 16-9 last season, 8-6 in the Ivy League. Gilad Doron resigned last month after seven seasons.

TEXAS TECH HIRES ACU’S COACH: There’s an opening at Abiliene Christian, because head coach Alisa Blair resigned to become associate head coach at Texas Tech. Her resume includes stops at Stephen F. Austin and Hill College. Blair played at Angelo State. Abilene Christian finished 7-19 last season, 4-10 in the WAC.

JORDAN LARSON TO NEBRASKA: International star Jordan Larson, 36, is returning to her alma mater. The NCAA now allows three paid assistants, and Nebraska coach John Cook hired the Huskers legend, captain of the USA team that won gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

Larson, who played professionally in Italy this past season, is currently in the USA national team gym in Anaheim. She has not joined the team for either leg of the Volleyball Nations League. According to the Nebraska news release, Larson will join the Huskers staff in September when the USA summer schedule finishes.

Larson, who is from Hooper, Nebraska, and played for the Huskers from 2005-08, briefly was an assistant at Texas in 2022, but left to play pro and never returned. She then coached for a…

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