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University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Meredith Schamun Named Head Volleyball Coach

Schamun Hiring Graphic

Women's Volleyball | March 20, 2020

PHILADELPHIA – Meredith Schamun, who helped lead Villanova to a 39-23 record in her two seasons as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, has been named the head volleyball coach at Penn, the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W'69 Director of Athletics announced today. A highly decorated setter at Rice, Schamun (pronounced shah-MOON) also served two seasons as an assistant coach at Tulane and two seasons at UCF following a professional playing career.

"Meredith impressed our search committee with her experience, technical knowledge, leadership and passion for volleyball," Calhoun said. "She was an outstanding student-athlete at Rice and has a true appreciation for the Ivy model of intercollegiate athletics, which provides an unrivaled academic and athletic experience for our student-athletes. Her recruiting connections around the country, especially in her native Southern California, will serve the program well. I look forward to watching Penn volleyball compete for Ivy League championships in the near future."

Schamun helped Villanova to a pair of Big East Tournament appearances and a combined 23-13 record in conference play. In 2019, the Wildcats were 22-9 overall and 13-5 in the Big East and ranked 60th in the final NCAA RPI (out of 335 teams). She coached the Wildcat offense which finished second in the league in hitting percentage and trained Villanova's all-time assist leader Emma Decker, who earned a spot on the All-Big East team.

"I am honored and humbled to be named the next head coach for Penn Volleyball," Schamun said. "I would like to thank Dr. Calhoun for this opportunity. I would also like to thank Matt Valenti, Rachel Hiller, and the rest of the search committee for putting their faith in me to lead this program. I have incredible mentors and have been blessed to work with several teams of inspiring young women on my journey to this point; I am forever grateful for their support. I look forward to becoming part of the Quaker family and leading this program as we build a tradition of excellence!"

Prior to arriving at Villanova, Schamun served two seasons as an assistant coach at Tulane, helping the Green Wave to the highest RPI jump in the nation (157 spots) in 2016. That season, Tulane had its first winning season in three years and finished fifth in the American Athletic Conference. In 2014 and 2015, Schamun was the director of volleyball operations at UCF, helping organize travel, scheduling and recruiting for the Knights, which won the conference title and reached the NCAA Championship field in 2014.

She also has nearly a decade of club volleyball experience, including the past two years with East Coast Power Volleyball. She is a cap I certified member of USA Volleyball and the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Schamun played collegiately at Rice, where she was a highly decorated setter and four-year starter for the Owls. The Conference USA Setter of the Year in 2009, Schamum was a two-time All-C-USA First Team, AVCA All-Region and AVCA All-America honorable mention selection. She helped lead the Owls to a conference championship and two NCAA Championship berths, and finished her career as Rice's all-time leader in assists with 5,190.­ Following graduation, Schamun played professionally in Germany for a season.

She graduated from Rice in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and policy studies for healthcare administration and earned a master's from UCF in sport and exercise science in 2015.

What they are saying about Meredith Schamun
 
"Penn has hired a fantastic, up-and-coming coach. Meredith has the ability to build a culture of winning and family; she cares so much about the players in our program and I know that the student-athletes at Penn will feel that right away. She is as hard working as anyone I've ever been around. I'm excited for Meredith and I know she is going to do great things as a head coach." - Joshua Steinbach, Head Volleyball Coach, Villanova
 
"I have had the privilege of coaching Meredith as well as observing her for years in this profession. I can honestly say that Meredith is one of the hardest-working and innovative coaches in the business. She is smart, competitive, professional, caring, and a proven leader and winner. She will work extremely hard at not only building the program but building relationships within the program and the athletic department. Penn Volleyball is in great hands, and I cannot wait to see the program excel under her leadership. " - Genny Volpe, Head Volleyball Coach, Rice University
 
"Meredith has paid her dues in so many ways as a coach coming up through the ranks. In a day where many coaches are simply being appointed to a head-coaching position, Meredith took the time to learn the training, the recruiting, and the business aspect of running a volleyball program. She is a wonderful person to mentor young women, and will be a very competent technical and competitive coach at Penn." - Todd Dagenais, Head Volleyball Coach, UCF
 
"The Penn players are getting a tremendous coach who will provide them with an enriching experience. Meredith has worked her way through the sport of volleyball as a tremendous player, top notch director of ops, and very successful assistant coach. Penn made a smart decision on making Meredith its next head volleyball coach."- James Barnes, Head Coach at Tulane
 
"Meredith is unique as a coach due to her humble relatability that coincides with her drive to compete and win. Her ability to balance the athletic pressure we live in as Division I athletes with levity and humor is unmatched by any former coach I have had before. This rapport does not get in the way of skill improvement; her dedication to determining what the TEAM can better develop during practice and matches, in addition to what individuals can improve upon, has been an honor to watch and work under. Penn is extremely lucky to have her. Under its intense academic environment, something she was exposed to at Villanova, she will be able to connect to the volleyball team in a way that both bonds them to each other and to the sport in the pursuit of greatness!" – Allison Olsonoski, Villanova volleyball student-athlete, Class of 2020
 
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