Christopher Newport University Women's Volleyball

Lindsay Birch has been synonymous with the Christopher Newport volleyball program since she first arrived on campus in 1998. At the beginning of her connection with the team, she was a record-setting outside hitter who guided the Captains to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001. After graduating, she became the seventh head coach in program history, and since taking the reins, she has built one of the most respected and accomplished collegiate volleyball programs in the nation. During her 23 years as the head coach of the Captains, Birch has led the team to the NCAA Tournament 20 times, including every season since 2007. Along the way, she has captured 18 conference championships and compiled a staggering 641-179 career record. Overall, her .782 winning percentage currently ranks 37th in the history of collegiate volleyball and sixth among active Division III coaches. Even greater in conference action, Birch has built a record-setting powerhouse. In 16 years, her squads have compiled a 223-11 record in league play while capturing at least a share of 15 regular season conference titles. First in the USA South and then in the Capital Athletic Conference, she won 138 consecutive league bouts from 2006-16, which ranks as the fourth-longest streak in the history of NCAA volleyball. For her efforts, Birch has been celebrated throughout her tenure. Among a host of awards, she has been named the VaSID All-Virginia Coach of the Year 11 times and secured the Conference Coach of the Year honor on 13 occasions as well. Additionally, she has been honored by the AVCA as the Region Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2014. Along with filling up her own mantel, Birch has also helped her student-athletes draw praise from conference, state, regional, and national organizations. Since 2002, 47 different players have secured All-Conference accolades, including eight four-time honorees. Ten Captains have also received Conference Player of the Year plaudits, while seven have been named the top player in the state of Virginia. Additionally, 24 Captains have earned All-American honors under Birch’s guidance, including first-team selections Bailey Jensen, Hannah Miller, and Briana Sutton. Record-setting libero Abby Hogge also secured national honors during each of her four seasons from 2009-12. Setter Sammy Carroll became the second four-time All-American after earning certificates from 2019-23.  Christopher Newport has captured five NCAA Regional Championships since 2009 and won at least one postseason match in 13 of the past 15 campaigns. The program’s finest hour came in 2011 when Birch and the Captains posted a 38-5 record while advancing to the NCAA title match. The following year, the squad established a new program standard with 40 victories and reached the Final Four for the second straight season. Along with the awards and national success, Birch has also overseen one of the biggest transitions in program history. Following a dominant run in the USA South, the team transitioned to the Capital Athletic Conference in 2013. Facing a new set of challenges, she helped the Captains make a seamless transition to the new league. Since joining the Capital, now the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference, Christopher Newport has captured eight conference championships. CNU also boasted the Conference Player of the Year six times, while Birch has been celebrated as the league’s top coach six times as well. Prior to arriving in the CAC, Birch led a remarkable run through the USA South from 2002-12. During that stretch, her squads won nine conference championships, including a title in her very first year at the helm of the program. Along the way, she won 109 consecutive league matches and was celebrated as the conference’s top coach on seven occasions. Additionally, five Captains were honored as the USA South Player of the Year, while Abby Hogge established the conference’s career record with 2,519 digs. For her work in the league, she was inducted into the USA South Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2018. Among her claims to fame, Birch also stands as the youngest coach in NCAA history to reach 200 victories after accomplishing the feat at the age of 29. Before joining the coaching ranks, Birch was one of the most dominant players in program history. During her career, she blasted 1,632 kills, which still stands as the most ever by a Captain. Fittingly, she capped off her career in style, helping CNU earn its first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament after finishing with a 24-11 record and the Dixie Conference Tournament title in 2001.   For her efforts on the court, she was named the Dixie Conference Player of the Year and the MVP of the Conference Championship. Additionally, she was a first-team All-Virginia selection, earned the Peninsula Sports Club/CNU Athlete of the Year award, and became the first CNU volleyball player to have her number retired as her No. 11 was hung from the rafters.   In a unique 12-month run, she went from being the Conference’s Player of the Year in 2001 to its Coach of the Year in 2002. For that performance, she was featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” section in December, 2002. She was also inducted in the CNU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008 for her success as a player.   Off the court, Birch was very active at Christopher Newport, serving as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, working as a volunteer with the Virginia Special Olympics, and spending time with CNU’s Community Outreach Program. To top it all off, she was a Dean’s List student and a member of the Dixie Conference All-Academic Team.   Prior to joining CNU, Birch was a three-sport standout at nearby Bruton High School where she starred in volleyball, basketball, and softball. Continuing her multi-sport career, she also saw action as a point guard for the CNU basketball team, and later, teamed with former CNU star Oksana Boukhtina on the Eastern beach volleyball circuit to capture five Open Level championships.   Birch is married to former CNU football player Josh Birch. They have a son, Jack.

After a four-year career as a Captain followed by a two-year stint as the graduate assistant coach at Marymount University, Katie Crofford joined the Christopher Newport volleyball coaching staff for her first season on the sidelines during the 2022 campaign.   Crofford, a native of Warrenton, Virginia,  stepped into the full-time assistant coach role and began working with the team in the spring of 2022.   "I am extremely excited to be back at CNU and back within the Newport News community," said Crofford. "I appreciate this opportunity to give back to the program that gave me so much as a student-athlete and I look forward to watching the team continue to grow over the years."   Crofford was a key player for the Captains during one of the most successful runs in program history. An outside hitter on the team from 2016-19, Crofford contributed to three straight conference championships and 106 total victories. She helped the Captains reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament in three of her four seasons and was a second team All-Conference selection following her stellar senior season.   "CNU Volleyball was blessed with nine amazing years with Cory Taylor as our Assistant Coach. Cory was instrumental in our success on and off the court," said head coach Lindsay Birch. "As we begin a new era within our coaching staff, we are so fortunate to have the opportunity to welcome Katie Crofford back to the program. As a former athlete, she displayed great leadership, work ethic, and toughness. Katie has a passion for coaching and this desire partners beautifully with her love for CNU Volleyball."   Crofford has served in a leadership capacity throughout her playing and coaching career including as President of the Christopher Newport Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and a member of the President's Leadership Program. She attended the NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar hosted at Marymount University in 2021 during her two-year tenure as a graduate assistant coach with the Saints.   Equally as impressive in the classroom, Crofford graduated Christopher Newport Cum Laude in 2020 with Service Distinction and a bachelor of arts degree in Sociology. She also graduated from Marymount in the spring of 2022 with a Master of Business Administration.