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| PAT KENDRICK |
XULA Director of Athletics & Recreation Jason Horn announced the hiring of Kendrick Thursday. Kendrick — who won 467 matches in 30 seasons (1985-2014) at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. — replaces Hannah Lawing, who resigned in December after four seasons.
"Xavier University has a great academic reputation, and the volleyball teams have been quite successful in conference," Kendrick said. "I want to bring Xavier to the point where it's a nationally recognized volleyball program to go with its nationally recognized academic programs.
"Through my experiences with George Mason and USA Volleyball programs, I know the game and training players, match strategy and recruiting. I know how to get players to work hard and find success on and off the court."
Kendrick was Virginia Tech's director of volleyball operations the past two seasons.
Kendrick's George Mason teams won eight Colonial Athletic Association championships and qualified seven times for the NCAA Tournament. Eight of her teams reached 20 victories, and two of those eight reached 30.
Kendrick is an eight-time CAA Coach of the Year. She was named state coach of the year by the Virginia Sports Information Directors six times. Her career record at Mason was 467-439.
"Our coaching opportunity had many great candidates from across the country show interest. We are extremely thrilled to gain a coach with the experience of Coach Kendrick," Horn said. "We were seeking someone who understands the mission of Xavier University and the potential we have with our program to build a national contender here in New Orleans.
"The search committee was very impressed with the preparation, planning and presentation of Coach Kendrick during the interview process. She is a proven winner, she looks forward to being a part of the development of and graduating our student-athletes, and many of her values and philosophies for the game mirror the Xavier mission."
Opponents from current P5 conferences that George Mason defeated during Kendrick's tenure included Arkansas, Baylor, Boston College, Florida State, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, NC State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington and West Virginia.
Kendrick coached six student-athletes to a total of 10 CAA Player of the Year awards, including three-time winner Aline Pereira. Kendrick has coached six CAA Rookie of the Year honorees and two CAA Setters of the Year. Five times under Kendrick, student-athletes were named CoSIDA Academic All-America.
Kendrick has served since 1994 as a USA Volleyball Cadre (instructor) for the coaches accreditation program. She coached numerous USA Volleyball High Performance, Olympic Festival and Junior National teams. She coached the East to a silver medal at the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival in San Antonio. Kendrick served four years on the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Rules Committee, and she was a voter on the American Volleyball Coaches Association's top 25 poll.
Kendrick is a George Mason graduate, was a standout hurdler on the track team and was inducted to the school's hall of fame for that sport in 1991. Kendrick was an volleyball assistant coach at Mason for two seasons with the women and one season with the men before ascending to the top women's position.
XULA enters 2017 as a six-time defending regular-season and tournament champion in the NAIA's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. The Gold Nuggets were eliminated in the NAIA National Championship opening round each of the past six seasons. XULA was 16-17 overall, 11-1 in the GCAC in 2016.
What They're Saying About Pat Kendrick
Russ Rose, Penn State Women's Head Coach
"Pat Kendrick will be a great addition to Xavier and the NAIA. She will bring great energy and experience to the position. She is a terrific recruiter, and she has a positive outlook. I expect great things from her."
Fred Chao, Former George Mason Men's Head Coach and Virginia Tech Women's Assistant Coach
"Pat has a lot of experience that covers all levels of volleyball. Not just the women's game, but also the men's. Her content knowledge is good. She really cares about her players, which is what sets her apart from others. These days the nurturing part is sometimes lacking in sport. Pat can nurture while also maintaining leadership. She is like family to me."
Doug Beal, Retired CEO of USA Volleyball
"I congratulate Xavier for hiring Pat. She has terrific experiences at college, but also with USA Volleyball in the High Performance Program over many years, working and nurturing some of the top talent in our country. Pat is a player's coach and cares deeply about each student-athlete. She knows the game at a high level, can communicate that knowledge and I'm sure she will help Xavier reach new levels of success with the program. Congrats on getting a great coach and a great person."
Dottie Hampton, South Carolina Assistant Coach
"I am so excited for PK and this new opportunity. She has been such a great teacher and mentor to me over the years. I know she will do great things at Xavier. Her knowledge of the game is so great. Xavier is so lucky to have a head coach like Pat Kendrick. I think she will be awesome at Xavier."
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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