LAKELAND, Fla. – Making her return to the Florida Southern College sidelines after two years away,
Ashlee Crowder has been named the fifth head coach of the Florida Southern volleyball program announced Director of Athletics & Dean of Wellness
Drew Howard. Crowder, who has been an NCAA Division II volleyball student-athlete or coach for the last 15 years, most recently served as head coach at Florida Tech where she produced the first double-digit win season since 2015 in just her second year in charge.
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"We are excited to welcome Ashlee Crowder as our head volleyball coach," said Howard. "We had an outstanding applicant pool, which speaks volumes for the caliber of our program. Ashlee quickly stood out for her hard work, relationship-building, and success as a coach. We look forward to Ashlee continuing the success of our program and welcome her back to Florida Southern."
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She took over the Florida Tech volleyball program in August of 2021, just weeks before the regular season was scheduled to begin. She guided the program through a difficult 2021 season and began the rebuilding process. Her 2022 roster featured six freshmen, one redshirt freshman, three sophomores, three juniors, a senior, and a graduate student. Just five of the student-athletes on the 2022 roster had seen action in a Florida Tech uniform in 2021. Crowder led the Panthers to their first double-digit win total since 2015 and tied for the most wins since 2013.
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"I am beyond grateful for this opportunity to join Florida Southern," said coach Crowder. "I am looking forward to making a positive impact on the program and female student-athletes. It's a special place, and I am excited to be coming back."
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Crowder spent three seasons as an assistant coach at FSC before taking over the head position at Florida Tech. She joined the Mocs coaching staff ahead of the 2018 season and helped guide the team to a 2018 NCAA South Region Tournament appearance. She also helped the program navigate the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic before getting the call to take over the Florida Tech program prior to the 2021 season.
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"I am so thrilled to welcome Ashlee back to Florida Southern to lead our volleyball program,"
Jill Stephens '95, Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator stated. "Ashlee will work tirelessly to continue the tradition of success the program has enjoyed for decades. Her excellent recruiting, coupled with her desire to impact and empower younger women, will benefit the Mocs greatly. I have no doubt Ashlee will use her strengths as a competitor and player's coach to do amazing things as our next head coach!"
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Prior to her time at Florida Southern, Crowder was the assistant volleyball coach at the University of Indianapolis from 2016-18. Similar to her role at FSC, Crowder served as the recruiting and summer camp coordinator at UIndy. The Greyhounds earned a record of 28-35 over her two seasons in Indianapolis. Crowder helped coach freshman Olivia Martin, who came four digs shy of breaking the program record with most digs by a rookie in 2017. She also played a major role in the development of several key contributors, including many underclassmen like Anna Fehribach and Rachel Irbe, who led the team in kills.
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Before heading to Indianapolis, Crowder spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Grand Valley State, where she helped the Lakers advance to two consecutive NCAA Tournaments. She was on the coaching staff in 2014 when GVSU went 27-6 overall, captured the Midwest Region Championship by sweeping all three opponents, and advanced to the NCAA Final Four in Louisville, Ky.
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Crowder has also had success on the club volleyball circuit, leading the Michigan Volleyball Academy, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., to a pair of nearly undefeated seasons in 2012-13 (15-1) and 2015-16 (13-1). Additionally, she coached the Dead Frog Far Out Volleyball team in 2013-14, Team Indiana in 2016-17 and most recently served as Assistant Club Director of the Southern Select Volleyball Club from 2018-20.
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An outside hitter herself, Crowder had a very decorated playing career at Hillsdale College. She continues to be Hillsdale's career leader in kills (1,703) and her 491 kills in 2009 are the third-highest single-season total in Charger history. Crowder was twice named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011 as well as the Daktronics Midwest Region Player of the Year in 2011. Additionally, she was a three-time AVCA All-American, including consecutive First Team All-America honors in 2010 and 2011. In 2018, Crowder was inducted into the Hillsdale College Athletics Hall of Fame.
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A 2012 graduate of Hillsdale, Crowder earned her degree in physical education. She is also currently finishing her master's degree in special education from Grand Valley State.
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