Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Names Witzel Assistant Volleyball Coach
2/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Marshall Names Witzel Assistant Volleyball Coach
2/17/2005
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University head volleyball coach Mitch Jacobs announced the hiring of Maren Witzel as the program?s new assistant coach, Thursday.
?I am extremely excited to be joining the Marshall University family,? Witzel said. ?From the minute I stepped on campus, I was amazed at the community and local support for Marshall University and the athletic department. I look forward to competing in Conference USA next season and truly believe we will surpass many peoples? expectations.?
Witzel comes to Marshall from Michigan State University where she spent the 2001 and 2003 seasons as an assistant coach. During her time at MSU, she worked directly with the team?s middle blockers and helped with statistical and video breakdown for the Spartans and head coach Chuck Erbe.
The native of Palmer, Alaska, was also a three-year letter-winner for the Spartans from 1998-2000. She was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and helped lead the Spartans to four consecutive NCAA Tournament bids, playing mostly as a middle blocker, but also at left and right side attacker. In her final playing season (2000), Witzel posted a .371 hitting percentage at middle blocker.
?We are thrilled to have Maren join our program,? Jacobs said. ?Her energy and experience will have an immediate impact on our team. She was trained by, and coached under, one of the great coaches of our game in Chuck Erbe. I believe she is the perfect person for the job as we head into Conference USA.?
In addition to her work at Michigan State, Witzel served as a graduate assistant coach at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn., where she helped the team to its first national ranking in program history in 2002. Witzel has also taught volleyball classes at Lansing Community College, worked with the Lansing Area Volleyball Association and has spent seven summers teaching summer camps at Michigan State.
Witzel earned a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State in Elementary Education in 2001 and a Masters of Arts from Concordia in Youth Development in 2004. She is the daughter of Don and Phyillis Witzel, who still reside in Palmer, Alaska.
Marshall is coming of its third straight 20-win season under Jacobs and finished 2004 with its best record since 1995, going 22-11 after advancing to the Mid-American Conference Championship.
