Hampton Tabs Weatherington As New Volleyball Coach

Karen Weatherington

HAMPTON, Va. – Karen Weatherington has been named the new head coach of the Hampton University volleyball program, the Department of Athletics announced on Wednesday. She comes to Hampton from Kennesaw State, where she served in the same capacity for four years.

In her four years at Kennesaw State, Weatherington compiled a record of 63-56 (.529), and she won a single-season school record 17 matches twice (2009, 2010). Kennesaw State’s .607 winning percentage in 2010 is the best in that program’s history.

The Owls made three straight Atlantic Sun Tournament appearances under Weatherington.

This past season, Weatherington led Kennesaw State to a 16-17 record – after the Owls went 13-16 in 2011, advancing to the conference tournament after going 8-5 in league play.

The Owls’ best season under Weatherington came in 2010, when Kennesaw State went 17-11 overall and 9-1 in the Atlantic Sun. Weatherington was named the A-Sun Coach of the Year, and she oversaw Kennesaw State’s first-ever First Team All-A-Sun selection in Sabrita Gulley.

Kennesaw State won eight straight matches that season, including seven in a row in league play.

Weatherington led Kennesaw State to a 17-12 mark in 2009, her first season at the helm, recording the first winning season in Owls history. Kennesaw State also made it to the A-Sun Tournament that season, its first year of eligibility in the conference.

Prior to her stint at Kennesaw State, Weatherington spent six years on the staff at Butler, including the last four as associate head coach. Butler was 90-86 during her time, and Weatherington was primarily responsible for recruiting and working with the team’s middle blockers.

In 2008, Butler was second in the Horizon League with 2.31 blocks per set.

Prior to her time at Butler, Weatherington served as an assistant at Clemson, as well as Duke and Iowa State.

Weatherington graduates from New Mexico State University in 1998 with degrees in journalism and psychology. She was also an assistant for her alma mater, while also competing overseas, playing in such countries as Russia, Finland, and Sweden.

She takes over a Lady Pirates program that tied a program Div. I record with 19 wins last season, advancing to the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament for the second straight year. Hampton boasted two All-MEAC performers in 2012 – sophomore Krista Kraskura (Kuldiga, Latvia) and junior Bibiany Fonseca (Uberlandia, Brazil).

Hampton was also led by sophomore Vendula Strakova (Brno, Czech Republic), who was among the nation’s best in several statistical categories and was named to the MEAC’s All-Tournament Team. She was third in the nation in points, fifth in service aces, and sixth in kills.

For more information on Hampton University volleyball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.


COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION