Cougar Volleyball

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Head Coach Megan Hrbek
Elmira College '03
Fourth season

Megan Hrbek has built the Caldwell College volleyball program from the ground up in three seasons, culminating in last year’s Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference North Division crown. After the College re-established volleyball as an intercollegiate sport in 2006 following a 15-year hiatus, Hrbek was brought in to lead the new program. The Cougars went 4-41 over the first two seasons, then experienced a complete turnaround in 2008 with an 18-11 overall record, a 13-4 mark in conference play and a spot in the CACC Tournament. The dramatic improvement resulted in Hrbek receiving the CACC Coach of the Year award.

“Winning a division title and advancing in the CACC Tournament were goals we had for the program since the beginning,” Hrbek said. “But I didn’t think it would happen so quickly, in just three seasons. The players were the determined to create a winning culture and they did the work necessary to achieve their goals.”

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. The 2007 campaign was highlighted by the program’s first victory, a 3-1 triumph over Felician College on Sept. 25 in the George R. Newman Center. The Cougars finished that season 4-24.

Picked to finish last in the North Division according to the 2008 preseason poll, the Cougars proved the league’s coaches wrong by winning 13 conference matches and capturing the CACC North. The title resulted in the team’s first berth in the CACC Tournament, where the Cougars defeated Nyack in the first round before losing to Philadelphia in the semifinals. Three of Hrbek’s freshman recruits earned all-CACC honors, as right side Amber Mosher made the first team, setter Lauren Roth was on the second team and middle blocker Titilola Alao received honorable mention.

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 for TCA New Jersey.

 

 

Assistant Coach Alicia Rivers
Goucher College '01
Third season
 

Alicia Rivers begins her third 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.