Elizabethtown College women's volleyball will have a new face roaming the sideline in 2016, after Alex Swan was named the ninth head coach in program history on Aug. 16.
Swan takes over for Randall Kreider, who recently vacated the position after guiding the Blue Jays for 14 seasons.
"I'm thankful to Chris [Morgan] and the search committee for this opportunity," said Swan. "I'm looking forward to meeting the team and getting the season started. I want to build upon the program's strong tradition and have the Blue Jays competing for championships."
The first-year head coach is no stranger to Lancaster County. Swan is a 2011 graduate of Millersville University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in history. He served as president of the university's men's club volleyball team, essentially in a player/coach role. Swan was responsible for scheduling, conducting practices and coordinating travel. On the court, he was a four-year starter, playing middle and opposite side hitter. The Marauders registered four straight top-10 finishes at the national tournament.
Swan spent the 2015 season at fellow NCAA Division III institution Arcadia University as an assistant coach. There, he was active in all facets of the program, including practice planning, scouting and recruiting. Swan also played a role in setting a foundation for the school's start-up varsity men's program.
With Swan on staff, the Knights won 12 matches and MH/OPP Elizabeth Joseph was named to the All-MAC Commonwealth Second Team. Joseph was the program's first player voted to an All-MAC Commonwealth team in its eighth year of membership. Prior to his hire at Arcadia, Swan was a volunteer assistant at Division II Philadelphia University.
"We're excited to have Alex join our staff at Elizabethtown," stated Morgan. "His playing and coaching experiences will benefit our student-athletes."
Upon graduating from Millersville, Swan spent a brief time on the training roster of the Professional Volleyball League's Florida WAVE . He remains active in the sport, competing in high-level semi-pro beach and grass court tournaments.
Swan received his master's degree in sport administration from the University of Miami (Fla.) in 2015.
