August 04, 2005
USI volleyball adds to coaching staff
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team announced that Katie Smith, a former Ohio University standout, will join the coaching staff for the 2005 campaign. She will assist first-year Head Coach Leah Mercer in all aspects of the Screaming Eagles’ volleyball program, working closely with the outside hitters.
Smith, who lettered all four years at Ohio, helped the Bobcats to a 29-3 record during her senior season in 2004, including a 16-0 mark in the Mid-American Conference.
She finished her career at Ohio with 641 career kills and became just the sixth Bobcat in school history to record 1,000 career digs, finishing with 1,070.
After recording 373 kills and 402 digs as a freshman in 2001, Smith was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman team.
In 2003, Smith helped lead the Bobcats to a 28-5 mark, 15-1 in the MAC, and the first of two straight MAC titles. Ohio was 93-33 overall and 54-14 in the MAC while making two NCAA Division I Tournament appearances during Smith’s four-year career.
“I am very excited to be reunited with Katie,” said Mercer, who coached Smith at Ohio during the 2003 season. “I am lucky to have someone with such dedication and work ethic assisting me. She will bring a lot of experience to our program.”
Smith graduated this past May with a bachelor’s degree in sports administration. She will help guide a USI squad that has recorded five straight 20-win seasons and that has reached the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship match in each of those campaigns. The Eagles are coming off a campaign in which they won the GLVC regular-season and tournament titles while posting a 24-7 overall record and a 15-1 conference mark.
Dan McDonnell,
USI Sports Information
