Sports
Shearer joins Ohio Volleyball Staff
By: Kellen Becoats
Posted on:
Mike Shearer has joined the Ohio volleyball coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach after spending a year at the University of Maryland.
Before coaching in College Park, Shearer enjoyed coaching stints at multiple colleges, including a season at the University of West Alabama as interim head coach, and assistant jobs at College of Charleston, Edinboro University, Elon University and Villanova University.
Shearer led Elon to a 19-14 record and coached two Southern Conference All-Freshman team members. He also led Charleston to a 47-19 record and a Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title and helped Edinboro to a 26-9 record and a NCAA Tournament berth.
The new Ohio coach brings a wealth of recruiting acumen alongside knowledge of development and execution of strength and conditioning programs. He is also experienced in the evaluation of opponents and game planning as well as coordinating team travel.
Ohio has been one of the most consistent programs in the midwest over the past 10 years, qualifying for nine of the last 11 NCAA tournaments and winning the MAC title—whether through the regular season or the tournament— 10 of the last 11 seasons.
The team also returns nine members of last season’s MAC title team, including four starters.
One of those starters that Shearer will get the opportunity to work with will be junior setter Abby Gilleland, an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and 2013 MAC Player of the Year.
Gilleland just had the opportunity to participate in the 2014 European Global Challenge for the BIP Adidas Midwest U-22 team in Croatia and will be looking to put her mark on another season in Athens.
The Bobcats start their season in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational in which they will face the host Rainbow Whine at 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 30 EST before facing San Diego State at 11 p.m. the same day. They will then close out the tournament by facing Arizona State at 9 p.m. on Aug. 31.