WORCESTER, Mass. (May 2, 2022) – Assumption University Director of Athletics Eric Gobiel announced that Stephanie Kazmierczak was hired as the new Head Women's Volleyball Head Coach.
I am very pleased to welcome Stephanie to Assumption Athletics," stated Gobiel. "She was selected from a very talented pool of candidates and, throughout this process, demonstrated a distinct vision for what it takes to succeed at this level. Stephanie brings a substantial amount of coaching and leadership experience to our program. I am confident she will build upon the strong foundation set but our tremendous student-athletes and help elevate our program in the years to come."
Kazmierczak comes to Assumption after spending two seasons as head women's volleyball coach at Merrimack College.
"I am humbled and honored to join the Assumption community as the next Head Women's Volleyball Coach," stated Kazmierczak. "I would like to thank Vice President for Enrollment Management William Boffi, Director of Athletics Eric Gobiel, and the entire search committee for trusting me to lead Assumption Volleyball into the future. It is wonderful to return to the NE-10 now as a coach and work towards bringing an NE10 Championship to Assumption. When I visited campus, it was evident that Assumption deeply cares about the student-athlete experience and that we share the same values. I'm excited to work with these talented, hard-working players in building this program."
Kazmierczak guided the Warriors through the second and third years of their NCAA Division I reclassification period from 2020-21 as a member of the Northeast conference. She helped develop a program that was honored with the 2021 USMC-AVCA Team Academic Award and 27 NEC Academic Honor Roll selections.
She arrived at Merrimack after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Division I Niagara University. She boasts six years of collegiate coaching experience, including a four-year stint as a Division III head coach at D'Youville College before assuming her position at Niagara.
While at Niagara, Kazmierczak was involved in all aspects of the program that advanced to consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournaments in 2018 and 2019. The Purple Eagles posted a pair of top-six finishes over the last two years, including a 12-6 ledger in MAAC play one season ago. Kazmierczak's roles included assisting with drill design, practice plans, video analysis, student-athlete development, setter training, serving as offensive coordinator during matches, and aiding in recruiting, among other areas. During Kazmierczak's time at Niagara, three Purple Eagles earned all-conference accolades, including a pair of outside hitters in 2019.
Before Niagara, Kazmierczak served as the women's volleyball head coach at D'Youville College, a Division III institution in Buffalo, N.Y. By her third and fourth campaigns, Kazmierczak guided the Spartans to consecutive Allegheny Collegiate Conference Championship appearances, including a run to the AMCC Semifinals in 2016. She won 34 matches as the D'Youville boss, and six student-athletes earned all-conference recognition.
Kazmierczak competed at Pace University at the Division II level and Buffalo State College (DIII) as a student-athlete. She ranks 13th all-time in Setter's history in career digs with 1,377 and was named to the NE10 All-Championship in 2009. At Buffalo State, she was a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) all-conference second-team selection after a team-best 935 assists and 40 aces. She was an NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll selection from 2007-09 – boasting a GPA in the top five percent of all student-athletes – in addition to receiving SUNYAC Chancellor's Scholar-Athlete Award (2011) and All-Academic Team (2010) honors.
Kazmierczak graduated from Buffalo State with a business administration and management degree in 2011. In 2018, she completed her Master of Science in sport management from SUNY Cortland.
ABOUT ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY
Assumption University, founded in 1904 by the Augustinians of the Assumption, is New England's premier university for high-quality education, integrating career preparation and education of the whole person, drawing upon the best in the rich and centuries-long tradition of Catholic higher education. Assumption, located in Worcester, Massachusetts, seeks to provide students with a transformative education that forms graduates who possess critical intelligence, thoughtful citizenship, and compassionate service. The University offers 34 majors and 49 minors in the liberal arts, sciences, business, nursing, and professional studies, as well as graduate degrees and professional certificate programs. For more information about Assumption University, please visit www.assumption.edu.
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