EVANSTON, Ill. (August 9, 2023) – Northwestern University head volleyball coach Shane Davis announced on Wednesday that Erica Handley has been added to his staff as an assistant coach. Handley, a two-time NCAA Final Four participant during her playing career at the University of Minnesota, joins the Wildcats after spending the 2022 season as an assistant coach at California Baptist University.
“Very excited about the addition of Erica to our staff,” Davis said. “She brings a wealth of experience from her time as a player, both collegiately and professionally, and as a coach. Erica is a high-character individual with personal values and ambitions that fit in seamlessly with our program. We look forward to welcoming both her and her husband, Tim, back to the Midwest and the Big Ten.”
“Northwestern has always been a school I could see myself coaching at since I was in college,” Handley commented. “While playing at Minnesota, I knew that I wanted to get back to the Big Ten as a coach after my professional volleyball career was over. There truly is nothing better than the Big Ten and I have always enjoyed the atmosphere and the potential of the program here at Northwestern. I am so grateful to Shane for giving me this opportunity and I couldn’t be more excited to work with this incredible staff and group of student-athletes!”
During her lone season with the Lancers, Handley helped guide California Baptists to a berth in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament in the program’s first year eligible for postseason play. She also aided in the development of First Team All-WAC honoree Christine Graf, who became just the second First Team pick in program history after finishing the year with 310 kills (3.26 k/s) and 84 blocks (0.88 b/s).
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Handley made professional stops in Poland, France, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Germany. She captured championships in both Finland (2019) and the Czech Republic (2020), while also participating in the inaugural season of Athletes Unlimited.
After beginning her collegiate playing career at Syracuse University in 2013, Handley made her way to the Twin Cities, where she appeared in 33 matches for the Golden Gophers. The Lakeville, Minn. native dished out 511 assists (8.4 a/s) during the 2014 season before…
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