Sherry Dunbar served as the head coach at the College of Charleston the past four seasons. (Photo courtesy of College of Charleston Athletics) |
Dunbar Named Indiana Volleyball Head Coach
Dec. 17, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana University Department of Athletics has named Sherry Dunbar the fifth head volleyball coach in the program's history, Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan announced on Sunday, Dec. 17. Dunbar had previously been the head volleyball coach at the College of Charleston for the past four seasons.
Dunbar, a Ball State University graduate and Indiana native, has established a track record of success both as a player and a coach and looks forward to returning home to take the Hoosier program to new heights.
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to come to Indiana University and lead the volleyball program," Dunbar said. "We are looking forward to building Indiana into a team that can compete with the best in the Big Ten Conference and achieve a high level of success. I am eager to meet the loyal Hoosier supporters in Bloomington and throughout the state."
Dunbar compiled an overall record of 113-22 (.837) at the College of Charleston, with four Southern Conference regular season titles, three Southern Conference Tournament titles and three trips to the NCAA Regionals (2004-06), advancing to the second round in 2005. She collected SoCon Coach of the Year honors in 2003 and 2005 while earning honorable mention for the Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU.com) Coach of the Year in 2005.
"After conducting a national search, we determined that Coach Dunbar was without a doubt the right person to lead our volleyball program," Greenspan said. "I would like to thank Associate Athletic Director Janet Kittell for her thoroughness in conducting this search.
"Sherry's success as a head coach is impressive and we are confident that she will accomplish great things at Indiana, while representing IU well both on and off the floor. We are happy to bring a Hoosier back home."
Associate Athletic Director and volleyball sport administrator Janet Kittell also expressed confidence in the selection of Dunbar to lead the Hoosier Volleyball program.
"Coach Dunbar combines the ideal blend of experience, success, energy and passion for the game." Kittell said. "I look forward to working closely with Sherry and her staff to achieve great things."
This past season, the Cougars compiled a 27-8 record en route to their third straight NCAA trip. Four players earned all-conference honors, and CofC earned both the Southern Conference Libero and Freshman of the Year awards.
That success came on the heels of a 2005 season that saw the College of Charleston post a school-best 32-2 record and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars posted the third-best winning percentage in the nation, with their only losses coming to a pair of ranked teams. Dunbar's team finished a perfect 18-0 in conference play, losing only three games in those matches, and extended its league-winning streak to 33 matches.
Dunbar led the Cougars to a 26-6 record overall and a 15-1 mark in the SoCon in 2004. CofC earned a trip to the NCAAs before falling to defending national champion Southern California in the first round.
In her first season at the helm, College of Charleston closed out the 2003 season with a 28-6 overall mark, a 17-1 record and the first of four straight SoCon titles.
Dunbar's teams have an equally impressive record in the classroom. The Cougars earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award three straight seasons from 2003-05. In addition, Dunbar has coached a CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team selection and a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team honoree.
Before her arrival in Charleston, Dunbar spent six seasons as an assistant at Tennessee, where she was involved in recruiting, scouting, practice planning and community outreach programs. At the conference level, she served as the SEC representative for the NCAA Assistant Volleyball Coaches Committee.
During her tenure as assistant at Tennessee, the Volunteers produced 35 All-SEC Academic Award honorees, 14 All-SEC Awards and three All-Region honors. The team also earned an NCAA Tournament bid in 2000.
Before joining the Lady Vols, Dunbar spent four years in a similar role at the University of San Francisco under Head Coach Karin Wallenstein, while also serving as the school's assistant compliance director.
Her coaching duties included working with the middle blockers as well as scouting, recruiting and overseeing individual player training. Among her top pupils was Chiara Lawrence, who broke the Dons' single-season block record in 1995.
Born in Fontana, Calif., Dunbar's family moved to Ellettsville, Ind. While playing at Edgewood High School, she was coached by Wallenstein, then an assistant at EHS. When Wallenstein was named head coach at USF in 1993, she named Dunbar her first assistant.
Dunbar's talents for coaching middle blockers can be traced back to her days as a standout at that position at Ball State. The 6-foot-2 Dunbar finished her career at BSU as the program's all-time blocks leader. She also appears among the top 10 in the Cardinals' record book in hitting percentage and kills. A four-year starter, Dunbar was named to the Ball State All-Decade squad and earned all-conference honors as a junior.
She earned a bachelor's degree from Ball State in 1992 and completed a master's in sports and fitness management at the University of San Francisco in 1996.
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