Brooklyn, NY----Announced by the Brooklyn College Department of Athletics, veteran coach, Joseph Agrest, has been named Brooklyn College's new Head Women's Volleyball Coach. After coaching at a number of different levels during his career, Coach Agrest returns to his roots in Brooklyn. He inherits a program that has appeared in the last three CUNYAC Championship matches, winning the conference title in 2021.
"Joe showed us right away not only his great knowledge of volleyball and his understanding of recruiting qualified student-athletes, but his overall passion for volleyball," Brooklyn College Director of Athletics, Erik Smiles would comment. "He has great knowledge of New York City area volleyball and has had the experience of being a head coach at both the Division III and Division I levels as well as at the two-year level, which we felt has prepared him to really keep our program playing at a championship level."
With a career spanning over 35 years, Coach Agrest currently serves as the Sport and Fitness Director at the JCH in Brooklyn. Since 2001 he has also been in the positions of Head Volleyball Coach, Sports Program Coordinator, and Maccabi Delegation Head. During his tenure, the program has won three Maccabi Championships (2006, 2012, 2016), earned a Silver medal in 2010, and took home five Bronze medals (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2017). More than 100 of his former players have gone on to play collegiately. Very familiar with the CUNYAC, a number of Agrest's former players at the club level have gone on to be named Conference Player of the Year and the CUNYAC Championship Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. In addition, he has coached the Maccabi USA Open and Master teams since 2015.
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to bring my experience and knowledge of volleyball to Brooklyn College," said Agrest. "It's going to be great returning to the college ranks with a program that experienced success the past few seasons and I look forward to building on that foundation."
No stranger to the college game, Agrest served as the Head Women's Volleyball Coach at Yeshiva University from 2014-2016 where the program made vast improvements year to year. He would coach a number of student-athletes that would earn All-Conference and All-Academic honors.
Prior to Yeshiva, Agrest sat at the helm of the NCAA Division I St. Peter's University Women's Volleyball program from 2008-2011. Coaching 15 All-Academic MAAC players, his teams set a number of statistical milestones defensively and with the serve.
Coach Agrest also has experience at the junior college level, leading former NJCAA Division I affiliate, Globe Institute of Technology, to a 16-8 record and a district championship appearance in his lone season with the program. He recruited and coached three different players that ranked nationally in five statistical categories.
