EUGENE, Ore. – Third-year head coach Mike Gaffaney has announced the hiring of two new assistant coaches for the 2010 season, both of whom come from an NCAA Division I volleyball background.
Gaffaney said, “I’m very pleased to have an extremely capable and knowledgeable coaching staff that brings both a high level of playing and coaching experience. It’s an impressive staff that will inspire and motivate our entire roster.”
Alicia Arnott (pictured, left) begins her coaching career with the Beacons. She played collegiately at the University of Hawaii, where she graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in health. During her time with the Rainbow Wahine, Arnott played three seasons. In 2004, Arnott was a first-team All-WAC selection, after leading Hawaii with 450 kills.
She earned a WAC Player of the Week honor in October of that year, and later guided the Wahine to a 30-1 record and an appearance in the NCAA Regional Semifinals. Coach Arnott had a stellar high school career, where she was selected as a Fab-50 recruiting prospect and earned All-Tournament honors as a member of the junior Olympics team.
Andrea Hansen-Miller (pictured, right) comes to the Beacons from a successful stint as a club coach with M1 Volleyball, based out of Minnesota. She was the head coach for both the 16 Royal and 16 2East teams and led her team to an appearance in the 2009 USAV National Championship tournament in Miami.
More recently, Coach Hansen Miller also began coaching as an assistant to Mike Gaffaney with the U18 Gold team in the Storm’n West Volleyball Club. Coach Hansen-Miller spent the 2009 season as the JV head coach and varsity assistant coach at Pleasant Hill HS.
Hansen-Miller is a former NCAA Division I volleyball player, having played two years at Michigan State University and then her final two seasons at Macalester College. She earned All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American Honorable Mention honors and currently holds the school record for most blocks in a season at Macalester.
“The addition of Andrea and Alicia to our coaching staff is exciting,” said Gaffaney. “Both are outstanding female volleyball athletes in their own right, but will also bring a great deal of high level volleyball background and experience to our program. Their impressive collegiate careers will provide NCU players with a unique and valuable insight. Both Andrea and Alicia bring a calm teaching style with a solid foundation of building team unity and high character. Their passion and intensity for the sport will be a great example for our players.”
Arnott and Hansen-Miller join a staff that also includes second-year assistants Shel Kaiser and Brooke Stribling, a former NCU volleyball player.