By: by KSU Sports Information
KENNESAW, Ga. - After guiding her squad to the best Atlantic Sun Conference finish in program history, Kennesaw State head volleyball coach Karen Weatherington has been named Kennesaw State Athletics Women's Coach of the Year.
"It is truly an honor for me to be recognized in this manner," said Coach Weatherington. "We have so many talented coaches in this department who have received conference and national recognition over their careers. To be given this award while working with all of these great coaches we have here is something that I deeply appreciate."
Kennesaw State's volleyball team had won just 11 matches in three years of competition before Weatherington arrived after the conclusion of the 2008 campaign. In 2009, Weatherington guided the Owls to a program-record 17 wins and a berth in the A-Sun Championships for the first time in program history. This past season, her team matched that mark with 17 wins, including a 9-1 record in Atlantic Sun Conference play. The squad's winning percentage in A-Sun matches (.900) was the best in the program's history by far. The 2010 edition of the Owls set program records for kills per set (12.90) and assists per set (11.97). Sabrita Gulley (385 kills) and Sara Metroka (979 assists) set program records as well, as the Owls achieved unprecedented success on the court.
“Coach Weatherington is a very passionate and energetic leader," said Metroka, who will be a sophomore on the 2011 team. "She has such a love for the game; a lot of times during rallies, she’s almost standing out on the court with us. She cares about people off the court even more than on the court. She cares about everyone’s family and their academics even more than how they play on the court. If we happen to be successful as a player, then that’s a bonus.
“Coach Weatherington is a winner," said rising senior and 2010 team captain Holly Knight. "She knows how to drive each of us and all of us as a whole. That’s what makes us a championship-caliber team.”
Weatherington was also honored as the A-Sun's Volleyball Coach of the Year in 2010.
