Sewanee: University of the South Women's Volleyball

Nancy Mueller enters her third season with the Sewanee volleyball program.   Director of Athletics Mark Webb has announced the addition of Nancy Mueller as the seventh volleyball coach at The University of the South. In her first season with Sewanee, the Tigers conquered history, winning 20 matches in a season for the first time in program history since 1999. The team also advanced to the semifinals of the Southern Athletic Association Championship for the second time.  Mueller coached three All-Conference student-athletes, including Ellie Pedersen to Newcomer of the Year honors in the conference and a South Region Honorable Mention by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).  Mueller also coached Lilly Reilly to the school's first AVCA/Sports Imports Division III National Player of the Week honor.  Academically, she saw eight student-athletes named to the SAA Academic Honor Roll, tying the most since 2015.  Mueller-Culver brings 20-plus years of coaching experience, including 15 serving as a head coach and an assistant at the NCAA Division I level. She returns to the college scene after a three-year hiatus, where she was the women's volleyball coach at Boyd Buchanan School in Chattanooga from 2015-18. Prior to her return to The Volunteer State, Mueller-Culver served as an assistant coach at the University of Indiana in Bloomington from 2010-15, where she served as the recruiting coordinator for the Big Ten institution. During her tenure with the Hoosiers, she oversaw all recruiting efforts, academic communication and monitored player development. In her first season, she helped Ashley Benson to an AVCA First Team All-America nod. Prior to her role in Indiana, she served as a head coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago (2003-09) and the University of South Florida (1999-2003), collecting 174 wins in 10 seasons. While at UIC, Mueller-Culver coached three to All-Horizon League All-Conference honors and two to the All-Newcomer Team. On a national level, she helped Ambria Springer to an All-American selection with the AVCA. In her third season with the Flames in 2006, she helped the program to their first-ever conference title match en route to a 17-17 record and a second place finish in the Horizon League. During her time at USF, she was a two-time AVCA Midwest Region and Conference USA Coach of the Year recipient (2000, '02), and she has coached six Midwest region honors and six First Team All-Conference selections. She also helped coach Alessandra Domingos to become a two-time C-USA Setter of the Year in 2000 and 2001. During the 2000 season, the program holds the longest winning streak in school history and the fourth in C-USA history, securing victories in 20 consecutive matches from Sept. 22 to Nov. 18. Inside conference play, winning 15 in a row is the second-best in conference history, as the Bulls were on their way to the regular season crown in conference play and a first-round appearance in the NCAAs. After winning 21 matches in 2001, Mueller-Culver finished with a 30-7 season in 2002, with the 30 wins the second-highest in program history. She also returned to the NCAA Tournament, where they finished in the second round after defeating Florida State, 3-0. A 1993 graduate of the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, Exercise Physiology, Mueller was a four-time letter winner for the Volunteers as a defensive specialist and setter.   The Mueller-Culver File Year -- Overall W-L Record -- Conference W-L Record -- Notes YearSchoolRecordPct.                  Conf.Pct.Notes1999South Florida (D-I)15-18.4557-9.438 2000South Florida28-6.82415-1.938C-USA Regular Season Champs, NCAA Tournament First Round2001South Florida21-9.70013-3.813 2002South Florida30-7.81112-1.923C-USA Tournament Champs, NCAA Tournament Second Round2003South Florida12-20.3756-7.461        Total5 Seasons at USF106-60.63953-21.716        2004Illinois-Chicago (D-I)10-21.3236-8.429 2005Illinois-Chicago12-19.38710-6.625 2006Illinois-Chicago17-17.5008-6.571Made Horizon League Tournament Title game for first time in program history2007Illinois-Chicago15-16.4846-10.375 2008Illinois-Chicago14-18.4385-11.313        Total5 Seasons at UIC68-91.42835-41.461         2018Sewanee (D-III)20-8 .7149-5 .643SAA Semifinals       Total1 Season at Sewanee20-8.7149-5.643        Total11 Seasons194-159.55097-67.591