Post by sIsam on Aug 9, 2004 3:45:48 GMT -5
www.riceowls.com/sports/wvball/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=2731
Blackwell Joins Rice Staff
8/6/2004
HOUSTON — John Blackwell was named an assistant coach for the Rice volleyball program, head coach Genny Volpe announced Friday.
Blackwell's duties with the Owls will include many facets of team training, recruiting, and handling team travel arrangements and equipment procurement.
"I was very excited when I knew John was interested in working with me at Rice," noted Volpe. "I have known John for a while and feel so fortunate to be able to work with him at this level. John’s work ethic is second to none, and his loyalty and dedication to the sport of volleyball sets him apart from many other coaches in the profession."
Blackwell joins the Owls after spending the previous four seasons as an assistant at Mississippi State. With the Bulldogs, he worked primarily with the middle blockers and served as the recruiting coordinator. His 2004 recruiting class was ranked in the top 50 nationally by PrepVolleyball.com.
Prior to his stint at Mississippi State, Blackwell was the head coach NAIA division I Belhaven College in Jackson, Miss., from 1996-1999. Under his guidance, the Blazers went from a 1-29 record in 1996 to 21-15 in 1999 while finishing as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference runner-up. In his final season, Blackwell's squad had five players named all-GCAC, while the Blazers ranked fifth in their region and set team records in wins (21), kills (1,550), assists (1,496), aces (363), and digs (1,799).
Blackwell's teams were equally successful in the classroom as two players were honored with NAIA Academic All-America awards in 1999. During each year of his tenure, the Blazers earned the AVCA/Molten team academic award.
"I am honored that Genny has asked me to be a part of Rice volleyball," said Blackwell. "I'm looking forward to helping this program become even more successful, and there is no question that a WAC championship and NCAA berth are among our goals. The coaches and players share that enthusiasm and will be working very hard to achieve just that."
While at Belhaven, Blackwell also worked as the club director and head coach for the Jackson Volleyball Club, doubling the size of the program in three years. He has also worked at numerous collegiate camps around the southeast, including Louisiana State, Mississippi and Alabama.
Blackwell is a 1992 graduate of Millsaps College with a B.B.A. in accounting.
Blackwell Joins Rice Staff
8/6/2004
HOUSTON — John Blackwell was named an assistant coach for the Rice volleyball program, head coach Genny Volpe announced Friday.
Blackwell's duties with the Owls will include many facets of team training, recruiting, and handling team travel arrangements and equipment procurement.
"I was very excited when I knew John was interested in working with me at Rice," noted Volpe. "I have known John for a while and feel so fortunate to be able to work with him at this level. John’s work ethic is second to none, and his loyalty and dedication to the sport of volleyball sets him apart from many other coaches in the profession."
Blackwell joins the Owls after spending the previous four seasons as an assistant at Mississippi State. With the Bulldogs, he worked primarily with the middle blockers and served as the recruiting coordinator. His 2004 recruiting class was ranked in the top 50 nationally by PrepVolleyball.com.
Prior to his stint at Mississippi State, Blackwell was the head coach NAIA division I Belhaven College in Jackson, Miss., from 1996-1999. Under his guidance, the Blazers went from a 1-29 record in 1996 to 21-15 in 1999 while finishing as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference runner-up. In his final season, Blackwell's squad had five players named all-GCAC, while the Blazers ranked fifth in their region and set team records in wins (21), kills (1,550), assists (1,496), aces (363), and digs (1,799).
Blackwell's teams were equally successful in the classroom as two players were honored with NAIA Academic All-America awards in 1999. During each year of his tenure, the Blazers earned the AVCA/Molten team academic award.
"I am honored that Genny has asked me to be a part of Rice volleyball," said Blackwell. "I'm looking forward to helping this program become even more successful, and there is no question that a WAC championship and NCAA berth are among our goals. The coaches and players share that enthusiasm and will be working very hard to achieve just that."
While at Belhaven, Blackwell also worked as the club director and head coach for the Jackson Volleyball Club, doubling the size of the program in three years. He has also worked at numerous collegiate camps around the southeast, including Louisiana State, Mississippi and Alabama.
Blackwell is a 1992 graduate of Millsaps College with a B.B.A. in accounting.
