Syracuse, N.Y. –
Ana Pego, one of the rising young stars in the collegiate volleyball coaching industry, has been named head coach of the Le Moyne volleyball program, it was announced by Director of Athletics
Bob Beretta on Wednesday.
Pego served as a graduate assistant coach, assistant coach, recruiting coordinator and ultimately, head coach, at perennial Northeast 10 Conference-power New Haven. Most recently, Pego has worked as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator at Division I University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She becomes only the seventh head coach in the history of the Le Moyne volleyball program.
"We are very excited to name Ana Pego to lead our volleyball program," Beretta said. "She brings a wealth of knowledge and coaching experience to Le Moyne. Ana is extremely familiar with the Northeast 10 Conference and understands what it takes to be successful at the highest levels of the sport.
"Ana owns deep recruiting ties in the Northeast and South, in addition to her vast international network. Ana's personal value set, her passion for developing student-athletes as leaders on and off the court and a strong desire to build a championship program at Le Moyne separated her from other candidates throughout the interview process."
While at New Haven, Pego was a member of teams that earned five consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, and registered two Elite Eight appearances. She helped guide New Haven to a 28-win season and an undefeated record in conference play in 2017. That year, New Haven was awarded a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Pego was named head coach at New Haven prior to the 2018 season following the retirement of longtime record-setting mentor Robin Salters.
During her collegiate head coaching debut, Pego led New Haven to a 15-3 record before stepping down due to personal reasons at midseason. The Chargers finished 26-6 that year and reached the semifinals of the NCAA East Region Championships. In all, New Haven posted an overall record of 105-43 (.709) and 43-13 (.768) in NE10 action during Pego's time coaching on the Charger sidelines. New Haven captured four NE10 titles in her five years with the program.
"I am ecstatic and honored to join Le Moyne College as its next head women's volleyball coach," stated Pego. "I would like to thank President Linda LeMura, Director of Athletics Bob Beretta, the Search Committee and everyone involved in the hiring process for this incredible opportunity.
"I am very excited to become a part of the 'Phin family, and I am looking forward to getting to work and to continue to build on the solid foundation and culture that surrounds this amazing institution."
While at New Haven, Pego worked with the Chargers' setters, including All-Region and All-Conference performer Kristine Rios, who topped the Chargers in assists in each of her four seasons and still ranks among the school's all-time leaders.
As recruiting coordinator, Pego was instrumental in shaping classes that experienced tremendous success at New Haven.
Following the 2015 season, Pego was one of seven recipients of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Minority Coaches Scholarship.
Pego joined the staff at UNC Charlotte as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in 2019. During her time at Charlotte, the 49ers garnered three consecutive Conference USA Tournament berths, reaching the league tournament semifinals of the highly regarded conference for the first time in school history in 2020.
She also coached nine players that received All-Conference USA first- or second-team honors, the C-USA Libero of the Year and the C-USA Freshman of the Year. Five of her players were named to the C-USA All-Academic team, two collected C-USA All-Freshman honors and four gathered AVCA All-South Region certificates.
As a team, Charlotte earned a pair of Conference USA Team Academic Awards, while posting an overall record of 52-49 (.515) during her tenure with the 49ers.
Following her graduation from Alabama State University, Pego served as a student assistant coach for her alma mater from 2012 to 2013. During her undergraduate days at ASU, she was a two-year starting setter for the Lady Hornets and served as team captain during her senior campaign.
A member of the Dean's List, Pego completed her Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology at Alabama State in 2013 and graduated Summa Cum Laude. She was selected to the Beta Kappa Chi Honor Society. Pego also holds a pair of Masters degrees from New Haven in Environmental Science and Sport Management.
In addition to her experience playing Division I college volleyball and coaching collegiately at the Division I and Division II levels, Pego has also directed club volleyball for the Chelsea Piers Athletic Club in Connecticut and worked in operations for the New England Black Wolves lacrosse team.
Pego is a native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, marking the second international head coach hired at Le Moyne this fall and just the fifth in the College's history.
What They Are Saying about Pego
"Ana Pego is a full-package volleyball coach. She is a hard-worker, a curious coach, hungry to succeed, and loves working with people. I am sure she will do an outstanding job at Le Moyne College because she triumphed in her previous institutions."
Dega da Gama
Volleyball Head Coach
Southern New Hampshire University
"Congratulations to Le Moyne College on hiring Ana Pego as its volleyball head coach. Ana's knowledge of and passion for teaching the skills and nuances of the sport of volleyball, and for developing the whole student-athlete forecasts a bright future for the Dolphins' volleyball program. I was fortunate to witness her ability to read the game and make decisions that directly led to success both for individual players and the teams we coached together for more than four years. I look forward to seeing her lead a program of her own to new heights."
Robin Salters
Retired Volleyball Head Coach, University of New Haven
(Current Director of Strategic Initiatives, University of New Haven)
"Congratulations to Ana Pego, the next volleyball head coach at Le Moyne College! Ana has made a significant and positive impact in the field of volleyball coaching. She has focused and achieved quantifiable success in all areas of coaching. She has empowered her student-athletes to be leaders, to understand the value of hard work while encouraging, inspiring, and motivating them to excel. Congratulations to Ana, and all the best to Dolphins' Volleyball."
Deborah Chin
Retired Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics for the University of New Haven
(Current Program Administrator, NCAA DII Coaches Connection)