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.



