March 17, 2008
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Head coach Todd Dagenais announced the addition of Michelle Chatman to the UCF volleyball staff as the teams' recruiting coordinator, director of operations and middle blocker coach on Monday. Chatman comes to UCF after serving the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Georgetown University.
"Michelle is a living representation of everything we want our student-athletes to become," Dagenais said. "She exudes the championship behavior that we have been preaching to our team from day one. She has worked so hard to make the transformation from a National Championship level player to a collegiate coach, and will do a wonderful job of coordinating our recruiting efforts, team travel and middle blocker training. Adding her to our staff gives UCF volleyball a coach with deep regional ties. This will be very important in our recruiting program, especially in the state of Florida."
As an assistant at Georgetown, Chatman coordinated all recruiting efforts, while also serving as the director of operations of the team, including travel and equipment.
Prior to being named an assistant at Georgetown, Chatman spent the 2005 season as a student assistant coach at the University of Florida, her alma mater. While assisting the Gators, the team posted a 33-3 overall record and made an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight.
"I am very thankful to the UCFAA and Todd (Dagenais) for giving me the opportunity to work with the UCF volleyball program," Chatman said. "I am looking forward to big things from this program in the future."
Chatman was a four-year letterwinner while a member of the Gators' squad and was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American Honorable Mention selection as a middle blocker following her 2004 season. Chatman earned her first All-America honor of her career after a senior season that saw her post the ninth-best single-season hitting percentage in UF history (.393). Chatman also garnered AVCA East Region accolades in 2002.
"The credibility that Michelle has earned as a player and coach gives her a terrific opportunity to have significant impact on the lives of our players," Dagenais said. "She has already accomplished everything on the court and in the classroom that our student-athletes are trying to achieve on a daily basis."
During her four seasons as a Gator, the volleyball team acquired a 126-10 overall record and made four-consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including the NCAA Final Four in 2002 and the National Championship match in 2003.
Chatman has also run camps for the Girls Club of Alachua County (Fla.) and was an assistant coach for the Gainesville Juniors Volleyball Club. Originally from Woodridge, Ill., Chatman earned a bachelor's of arts degree in sociology and a bachelor's of science degree in family, youth and community sciences from Florida in 2006.
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