Volleyball | 4/30/2015 11:26:00 AM
MONMOUTH, Ore. – Western Oregon University Head Volleyball Coach
Brad Saindon announced Thursday that Megan Shifflett has been hired as the new assistant volleyball coach for the Wolves and will begin her coaching duties in mid-May.
"First of all, I'd like to thank my selection committee as it was a pretty exhaustive process," said Saindon. "We had a lot of really good candidates apply for the position so it was fun. We got candidates from virtually everywhere.
"We decided to hire Megan, who played at Penn State during her career and helped lead the Nittany Lions to three Division I national championships. I think that most volleyball people understand that Penn State is one of the powerhouses in intercollegiate volleyball. She went over to England, played, and coached at Durham University. She is a delightful, young woman who hit it off with everyone that she met. My players really enjoyed talking to her. The committee thought that she was perfect fit so we are delighted that she will be our new assistant coach."
Shifflett has been as assistant varsity coach at Langley High School in McLean, Virginia, since 2012, while also being a head coach for the NOVA Volleyball Club in Fairfax, Virginia, after a six-month stint as the Head Men's Volleyball Coach at Durham University in Durham, England, while she was earning her master's degree.
"I couldn't be happier for this opportunity to join the WOU family," said Shifflett. "From the moment I met everyone, I was impressed by the supportive, tight-knit nature of the community here and felt instantly welcomed and accepted. I can't wait to get started and contribute all that I can to this program of wonderful people!"
Along with her coaching history, Shifflett has also worked numerous camps since 2009 as a counselor or director. As a counselor, Shifflett has worked at the Volleyball Express Camps as well as numerous camps at Penn State and Langley High School. Shifflett was the camp director for two years at the All-American Volleyball Camp where she was a satellite director running and coaching camps at different high schools and middle schools throughout the Midwest and East Coast.
During her four-year playing career at Penn State, Shifflett helped lead the Nittany Lions to three straight NCAA Division I national titles and a combined win-loss record of 133-12 (72-8 in Big Ten play) that included back-to-back 38-0 seasons in 2008 & 2009. Shifflett was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient in 2009 & 2012, while also being a Dean's List honoree at Penn State at the same time.
After earning her Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education from Penn State in 2012, Shifflett moved on to earn her Master's Degree in Education from Durham University in England. While at Durham, Shifflett was a member of the women's volleyball team helping lead them to a British University & College Sport championship and also competed as part of Durham's NVL professional team.
Away from the court, Shifflett earned the Team Durham Half Palatinate Award, Team Durham Women's Team of the Year award, and was a finalist for Team Durham Sportswoman of the Year in 2014.
When talking about Shifflett's role within the coaching staff at WOU, Saindon said, "(Megan) and I will sit down and go over the day-to-day duties when she arrives. Like everyone at most Division II institutions, we all wear a lot of different hats so she will help with all the administrative duties within the office. Mostly, I'm excited to get another set of eyes on the court that can watch players in practice and also watch opponents to help figure out how we will compete against them."
