University of Tennessee Southern Women's Volleyball

 The University of Tennessee Southern and Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Brandie Paul officially announced the hiring of Janay Yancey as the next head coach of the UT Southern volleyball program on Monday, April 11. Yancey, a Columbia, Tenn. native, comes to UTS after serving as assistant women's volleyball coach at Alcorn State University in Alcorn, Miss. over the last two seasons. Before her time at Alcorn State, Yancey served one season as head women's volleyball coach at Mississippi Valley State. Prior to her time at MVS, she was the head coach at Tuskegee University for three seasons. "I would like to thank Director of Athletics Brandie Paul and the search committee for the opportunity to lead the University of Tennessee Southern volleyball program," Yancey said. "I look forward to building a legacy and standard of excellence while creating strong traditions and values in subsequent years at the University of Tennessee Southern." At Tuskegee, Yancey turned around a program that won six matches in her first season to a 17-win historic season the next year, which included an undefeated SIAC West Cluster tournament for the first time in school history. In 2016, she served as an assistant coach at Alabama State before her stint at Tuskegee, where she assisted ASU in winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and making its third NCAA Division I Tournament appearance in school history. During her time at Hampton University from 2013-15, first as an assistant and then as the head coach, Yancey's teams won back-to-back Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournaments and made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division I Tournament. "We are excited to introduce Coach Yancey as the next head coach of the University of Tennessee Southern volleyball program," stated Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Brandie Paul. "Coach Yancey brings a wealth of volleyball knowledge from all levels of competition to UT Southern. We are thrilled about her focus on character and team development, and are confident that her previous successes both as a coach and a player will elevate our volleyball program to new heights." Yancey began her playing career at North Carolina State and was a two-year letter earner. She played her last pair of seasons at MTSU, where she holds records in blocks per set and hitting percentage. Yancey graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science, and she obtained her master's degree in Exercise Science while serving as a graduate assistant at The University of South Alabama in 2011. Yancey is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, where she was awarded the AVCA Minority Coaches Scholarship in 2011. She is also a 2014 graduate of the Women Coaches Academy.