Derek Schmitt Named Head Volleyball Coach at Eastern Nazarene

QUINCY, Mass.- Eastern Nazarene College Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Zarges has announced the hiring of Derek Schmitt as head men's and women's volleyball coach.

Schmitt becomes the ninth women's volleyball coach in program history and just the second men's volleyball head coach. He returns for his second stint as head women's volleyball coach at ENC after leading the Crusaders for three seasons from 2002 to 2004. Schmitt guided Eastern Nazarene to three-consecutive Commonwealth Coast Conference semifinal appearances.

A 1996 graduate of Eastern Nazarene, Schmitt returns to Wollaston after a two-year stint as head men's volleyball coach at NCAA Division I California Baptist University in Riverside, California. He guided the Lancers to 22 wins in two seasons, including eight victories in the highly-talented Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with the likes of UCLA and USC. Schmitt spent the 2015 campaign as an assistant coach with the California Baptist men's volleyball program.

"On behalf of ENC and ENC Athletics, it gives me immense pleasure to introduce Derek Schmitt as the Head Coach for Women's and Men's Volleyball. The opportunity to add a coach of Derek's experience would be sufficient enough to get excited about, but the connections that he and his family have to ENC and the local community make this hiring all the more fantastic," stated Zarges. "Coach Schmitt's vision for both ENC volleyball programs as part of our striving for comprehensive excellence in athletics is a perfect match. The men and women that will play under his leadership will be challenged to new levels of accomplishment on the court, in the classroom, and in their personal growth."

"First, I would like to thank Director of Athletics Brad Zarges and Vice President for Student Development Jeff Kirksey, for offering me the opportunity to return to my alma mater. I, along with my wife Monique (and daughter Annika), are looking forward to returning to the ENC community, the Wollaston Church of the Nazarene community, and the local Quincy community. Our decision to return is largely based on the quality of people who we have known in these communities for the past 30 years along with those we recently met during the interview process," said Schmitt.

Prior to arriving at California Baptist, Schmitt served as the head men's volleyball coach and assistant women's volleyball coach at Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina. He started the men's program in 2013 and guided the Flying Fleet to a 13-16 record in their first season. In the program's second year of competition, Schmitt led Erskine to a 21-7 record along with a Conference Carolinas championship and NCAA National Tournament berth.

Schmitt spent two seasons as an assistant women's volleyball coach at Clemson University after five years as head women's volleyball coach at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina where he also served as Assistant Director of Athletics and Sports Information Director.

"We are excited to have Coach Schmitt return to his alma mater.  He brings years of experience and a commitment to student growth and development to his work as a coach.  We are confident he will be a blessing to ENC on and off the court.  We are looking forward to his leadership of the men's and women's volleyball programs," commented Jeff Kirksey, Vice President for Student Development.

As a student at Eastern Nazarene, Schmitt competed on the men's volleyball club team and returned to coach the club team for six seasons after graduating in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Youth Ministry.

"Having previously been the Women's Volleyball Head Coach at ENC from 2002-2004 and having been affiliated with the Men's Volleyball Club from 1990-2000 as a player and coach, ENC Volleyball has been a major part of my professional development and I look forward to leading both programs," added Schmitt. "While I will not guarantee how many matches we will win year in and year out, I am confident that the student-athletes in both programs will work hard in the classroom, on the volleyball court, and in the weight room. Additionally, I look for them to be a positive influence in campus life at ENC."

TRANSACTIONS: Eastern Nazarene College names Derek Schmitt head men's and women's volleyball