Saint Vincent College Women's Volleyball

Samantha Kelly joined the Saint Vincent College women's volleyball coaching staff as a graduate assistant in July 2022.    A native of Irwin, Pennsylvania, Kelly graduated from Westminster College in May 2022 with a degree in Political Science and a double minor in Spanish and International Studies.   Kelly was a four-year standout for the Westminster volleyball team (two-year captain), earning PAC All-Conference honors in three of those seasons. She earned First Team All-PAC during her junior and senior seasons, while picking up an All-PAC Honorable Mention honor during her sophomore campaign. She was also named CoSIDA Academic All-District during her senior season.   In Kelly’s four-year career at Westminster, she compiled 2,293 assists, 101 kills and 120 service aces. During her senior campaign, Kelly led the PAC with 1,008 assists and 58 service aces. Kelly served as the volleyball representative for Westminster's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for three years serving as the SAAC secretary during her junior year when Westminster's SAAC teamed with the Special Olympics to keep children active during the pandemic through workout videos.   She recently completed internships with Congressman Mike Doyle’s office and PA Superior Court Judge Cheryl Allen. Kelly also worked as an Equipment Desk Attendant at Carnegie Mellon University and was a middle school volleyball coach at her alma mater, Penn-Trafford High School. During her time on the Bearcat coaching staff, Kelly will be enrolled in graduate school at Saint Vincent, pursuing a master's degree in curriculum and instruction.   

Susan has served as the head coach of the Bearcat volleyball team since its inception in 1985. As a coach — educator — Susan believes in educating and guiding students by providing a positive environment for excelling academically . . . athletically . . . and socially . . . to maximize their potential as valuable members of society.  In 2022, under Hozak's leadership, she guided three players to All-PAC Honors ... Carly Augustine was named All-PAC Second Team, Luciana Polk was named an All-PAC Honorable Mention, and Becca Miller was named to the All-PAC Sportsmanship Team. She led the Bearcats to a 17-9 overall record, the most for Saint Vincent since the 2014 season when the Bearcats went 18-13 overall. SVC earned the number four seed in the PAC Tournament and played host to fifth seeded Chatham in the first round, where the Bearcats fell 3-1 in a tight match. Saint Vincent continued their season as they qualified for the ECAC Division III Championship Tournament where the Bearcats fell 3-0 to Carbini University. In July 2022, Hozak's team earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award ... Hozak's teams have now recieved the honor ten times and four consecutive seasons in a row. During her tenure at Saint Vincent, Coach Hozak has helped guide her team to 671 wins in program history. Coach Hozak claimed her 600th career victory at La Roche on Sept. 27, 2016. Entering the 2023 season, Coach Hozak ranks in the top 10 of active Division III coaches in all-time wins (671). A 1983 graduate of Waynesburg College, Hozak received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration during her undergraduate studies. Susan later earned a Masters Degree in Education from Saint Vincent. Her volleyball playing began at Norwin High School, where she was a member of three state championship teams. As a three-time All-District setter at Waynesburg, Susan was on teams which won three district championships, competing in three NAIA National Championship Tournaments. Coach Hozak's personal honors have included: 2005 and 2003 American Mideast Conference North Division Coach of the Year, 1994 NAIA/AVCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year, 1994 Keystone-Empire Conference Coach of the Year, NAIA District 18 Coach of the Year: 1990-92-93, and KECC Coach of the Year in 1994. In recent years, Susan's Lady Bearcat team won two consecutive ECAC Division II Championships, in 2006 and 2007, while the Lady Bearcats reached the ECAC Division-III semifinals in 2009 and the finals in 2010. Susan also serves as Senior Woman Administrator and Associate Athletic Director at Saint Vincent. She is also currently a member of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Committee. She is also the chair of the Division III Women's Volleyball Great Lakes Regional Advisory Committee.