Cougar Volleyball

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Head Coach Megan Hrbek
Elmira College '03
Third season

Megan Hrbek returns for her third season as the volleyball coach at Caldwell College. Hrbek has spent her first two years building Cougar volleyball from the ground up after the College re-established the program following a 15-year hiatus. In just two seasons, the Cougars have brought excitement and team spirit to campus with their enthusiasm and never-say-die attitude.

“When I first came to Caldwell, the task of starting a new program was a bit intimidating,” Hrbek said. “But every little accomplishment we’ve been able to achieve along the way has been more rewarding than I expected.”

In Caldwell’s first season of intercollegiate volleyball since 1991, the Cougars failed to win a match with a roster of walk-on students and student-athletes from other sports. Last season, with the team bolstered by a talented recruiting class, Hrbek’s squad improved steadily. The hard work and dedication paid off with the program’s first victory, a 3-1 triumph over Felician College on Sept. 25 in the George R. Newman Center. The young squad hit its stride late in the season, winning three of its last five matches to finish just two games out of a spot in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament.

Hrbek arrived at Caldwell after serving as a coach at Premier Volleyball Club in Maumee, Ohio, since 2004. She was named the club's Coach of the Year in 2005 and also served as the Tournament Director and Officials Coordinator for Premier, one of the largest volleyball clubs in the Ohio Valley Region. During the 2005 season, Hrbek served as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Toledo. She also was a volunteer assistant at Bowling Green State University in 2004.

A native of Madison, Ohio, Hrbek was a four-year starter at Elmira (N.Y.) College from 1999 to 2002. Playing libero, Hrbek helped the Soaring Eagles reach the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament in 1999 and 2000, and capture the Empire 8 Conference crown in 2000 and the ECAC North Division title in 2001. She also was the team's captain during her junior and senior seasons.

“We are elated to have Megan build our volleyball program at Caldwell College,” said Mark Corino, Caldwell's Executive Director of Athletics. “Her enthusiasm for the sport, combined with her background as a coach and player, will go a long way toward making Cougar volleyball a successful program.”

Hrbek graduated summa cum laude from Elmira College in 2003 with a degree in mathematics. She also holds a Master's degree in sport administration from Bowling Green.

Along with her coaching duties, Hrbek is the recreational sports coordinator and event manager in the athletic department at Caldwell College. She also coordinates Caldwell’s CHAMPS/Life Skills program. During the offseason, Hrbek coaches at Allegro Volleyball Club in Denville, N.J.

 

 

Assistant Coach Alicia Rivers
Goucher College '01
Second season
 

Alicia Rivers begins her second season as an assistant volleyball coach at Caldwell College. Rivers joined the Cougar volleyball coaching staff after coaching at the scholastic level for four years. Rivers spent three seasons as the head coach at St. Mary’s High School in Annapolis, Md., before starting the middle school volleyball program at Maryvale Prep in Brooklandville, Md., last fall. She also served as a coach at the Wild Blue Volleyball Club in Baltimore, Md., for five years.

Before beginning her coaching career, Rivers was a standout setter at Goucher College in Baltimore, Md. A two-time captain at Goucher, Rivers helped the Gophers finish second in the Capital Athletic Conference and seventh in the region as a freshman. At the end of her career in 2000, Rivers ranked fifth in career assists in the program’s history.

Rivers earned her Bachelor’s degree in music from Goucher in 2001. She also served as a student-athlete mentor as a senior and was on Goucher’s Athletic Advisory Council for two years. In 2007, Rivers received a Master's of Education degree from Goucher. A native of Midland Park, N.J., Rivers currently lives in North Haledon, N.J.