Eckerman named head volleyball coach at Kent State University

Haley Eckerman, one of the top players in college volleyball history, has been named head coach at Kent State University. The former four-time All-American and national champion at the University of Texas served as an assistant coach at TCU last season.

"Haley Eckerman brings a great balance of both coaching and on-court success to Kent State volleyball," said Golden Flashes Director of Athletics Randale Richmond. "As a highly decorated former competitor at the collegiate and pro levels, our student-athletes will have a great opportunity to learn what is required to compete for championships. Haley is committed to not just developing our student-athletes on the court, but also outside of sport. She gives us the opportunity to re-imagine our volleyball program. I'm thrilled to see how the program grows under her leadership."

Eckerman replaces Don Gromala, who compiled a 126-161 record in 10 seasons as Kent State’s head coach with a Mid-American Conference East Division title in 2015. Gromala had one season left on his contract.

“We decided to move in another direction with our leadership,” said Richmond.

Eckerman was the main contributor on three NCAA Final Four teams at Texas. She was named the 2012 Longhorn Female Athlete of the Year after winning the National Championship in her sophomore season, and was chosen Volleyball Magazine Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013.

Eckerman was named 2011 Big 12 Freshman of the Year before winning Big 12 Player of the Year honors in each of her next three seasons. She was named second team All-America after her freshman season, followed by three straight first team All-America selections. Eckerman finished her career among the top 10 in six different statistical categories at Texas.

Eckerman competed at the professional level for the next four seasons in South Korea, Puerto Rico, Azerbaijan, Italy and Russia.

In 2018 Eckerman co-founded Team Dream, the first all African-American team to compete and win USA Open Nationals. In 2020 she co-founded Think Outside the Box, a volleyball coaching and athlete development company that provides resources and support while also addressing issues related to diversity within the game of volleyball at all levels.

Eckerman spent one year as the head volleyball coach of her hometown team, Waterloo (Iowa) High School before moving on to the collegiate ranks. She was the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Lamar University in 2019, then helped Tarleton State transition to the Division I level while serving as an assistant from March 2020 to the spring of 2021.

"First, I want to thank Randale Richmond for giving me the opportunity to be the head coach of the Golden Flashes," Eckerman said. "Second, I would like to thank the hiring committee and everyone who was a part of my interview process. Lastly, I would like to thank my mentors who have been a huge help during this hiring process. I am so honored to be a part of this program, and with these great young women and the surrounding staff. I am excited to get to Kent to start building a relationship with the players, and get in the gym and get to work."

Eckerman earned a bachelor's degree in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas in 2014, and has one son, Cayden.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Haley Eckerman has been named head volleyball coach at Kent State