The Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU.com) is please to announce its selection of Niagara coach Susan Clements as the 2009 CVU.com National Coach of the Year.
In her third season, Clements led the Purple Eagles to one of the best turn-arounds in the country and their first-even berth in the NCAA tournament.
Coming off 2008 when she had the youngest team in the NCAA, Clements' 2009 team was still young with three juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen. But, while Niagara may have lacked age, it didn't necessarily lack experience.
After a 6-24 season the year before, and a 4-14 Metro Atlantic record, the Purple Eagles were poised for breakout season. And despite being picked sixth in the preseason conference poll, breakout they did.
Niagara won its first three matches to claim the Niagara Invitational — opening 2-0 for the first time ever — and at one during the season point strung together eight-straight conference victories. Finishing second in the regular-season standings, the Purple Eagles went on to win the MAAC tournament and earn their first ever trip to the NCAA tournament.
Niagara finished the year at 23-9 and 14-4 in conferences, completely flipping its league record with a 10-win increase. Overall, Niagara improved by 17 victories.
Receiving honorable mentions honors are Jim Barnes of Baylor, TCU's Prentice Lewis, Jacksonville State coach Rick Nold and Chris Poole from Florida State.
It's been a slow climb playing in a conference as tough as the Big 12, but in Jim Barnes' sixth season, Baylor is starting to gain some national prominence as it racks up wins. For the first time since 1999, the Bears finished with a winning conference record. After going 12-19 (3-11 Big 12) in Barnes' first year, Baylor has slowly moved up the win column, finishing 2009 tied for fourth at 11-9 and compiling a 24-10 overall record. Baylor started the season with 11-straight victories and picked up three tournament titles, before Big 12 play where it had wins over Iowa State and Texas A&M. Those performances were enough to earn the Bears their first NCAA tournament bid since 2001, and they didn't squander the opportunity. Baylor picked up a first-round win over Georgia Tech, then went on to upset UCLA in Los Angeles before falling to California in the NCAA Regional.
Entering her eighth season, Prentice Lewis was already the winningest volleyball coach in TCU history and had guided the Horned Frogs to their first 20-win season in 2003 as well as a school-best 23 wins in 2004. But, after a couple of seasons finishing in the middle of the Mountain West and its fourth 20-win season in 2008, TCU was looking to take the next step in 2009. After a 5-3 start, the Horned Frogs went on a tear, winning eight-straight matches leading up to conference play. Despite setbacks at Colorado State and Utah, TCU ran off another eight victories and then closed with four more to finish a program-best second in the Mountain West at 13-3 — the most conference wins ever for the school. That finish earned the Horned Frogs their first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament, where they fell to eventual national runner-up Texas. On the year, TCU finished with a program best 27-7 record.
After a down year in 2008, Rick Nold quickly got Jacksonville State back to the top of the Ohio Valley Conference, were it has been a fixture most of the past five seasons. After going 9-19 (6-12 OVC) in 2008 and being picked sixth in the conference preseason polls, the Gamecocks exhibited one of the top turn-arounds in Division I this season. Dominating OVC play, JSU went 17-1 and compiled a 27-8 overall record, earning their fourth conference title in five years. The Gamecocks won the conference tournament to earn a trip to the NCAA tournament, and there, in a five-set battle versus Florida A&M, picked up their first ever NCAA Tournament victory. On the season, Jacksonville State improved by 11 wins in league play and 18 overall.
It was only his second year with Florida State, but Chris Poole now has a lot to live up to. Drawing on his experience of starting then spending 14 seasons building the Arkansas program, Poole guided the Seminoles to their best season ever. Early season success saw FSU pick up three tournament titles, including a victory over Illinois, with a single loss to powerhouse Florida slipped in. The Seminoles would drop only one more match during the regular season, cruising to their first-ever outright ACC title with a school-record 19-1 conference mark. Earning a No. 3 seed for the NCAA tournament, FSU cruised through the first two rounds, then downed Kentucky to reach the Regional final. The Seminole season ended there, but not before they compiled a 31-3 overall record and made their longest postseason run ever. Florida State also ran off a program best 19-straight victories, including 16 consecutive ACC wins. As for individual honors, Poole was named ACC Coach of the Year, while Brianna Barry picked up FSU's first-ever ACC Player of the Year honor. Poole also earned his 600th career win in Florida State's sweep of Alabama A&M to open the NCAA tournament.
Coach of the Year
Susan Clements, Niagara
Honorable Mention
- Jim Barnes, Baylor
- Prentice Lewis, TCU
- Rick Nold, Jacksonville State
- Chris Poole, Florida State
The Honorable Mentions are not listed in a specific order and should be referred to as an "Honorable Mention" or one of the "Top Five."
Story Extras
![]()
|
