On Friday, Penn Athletics announced that Meredith Schamun will be the new head coach for Penn volleyball, the fourth person to take the job in the past five seasons.
Schamun is already comfortable in Philadelphia after spending the past two seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Villanova. During her tenure, she helped lead the Wildcats to a 39-23 record and a pair of Big East Tournament appearances. Schamun was responsible for coaching an offense that finished second in the conference in hitting percentage.
“I am honored and humbled to be named the next head coach for Penn Volleyball," Schamun wrote in a Penn Athletics statement. “I look forward to becoming part of the Quaker family and leading this program as we build a tradition of excellence!"
The hire comes after Iain Braddak resigned as head coach in January after a tumultuous and scandal-ridden two-year tenure. The 2019 Penn volleyball season was cut short by Penn Athletics after "vulgar, offensive, and disrespectful" posters were found in the team's locker room.
Schamun’s volleyball career started when she played collegiately at Rice, where she finished as the Owls' all-time leader in assists. After graduating, she played one season of professional volleyball in Germany.
In 2014 and 2015, Schamun was the director of volleyball operations for Central Florida, before becoming the assistant coach for volleyball at Tulane. In her first season, she helped the Green Wave to its first winning season in three years.
Alongside her collegiate experience, Schamun has almost a decade of experience in club volleyball.
“Her recruiting connections around the country, especially in her native Southern California, will serve the program well,” Penn Athletics Director M. Grace Calhoun wrote in the statement. “I look forward to watching Penn volleyball compete for Ivy League championships in the near future."
Penn will depend on Schamun’s experience to get the program back on track and move towards consistency in the head coach position.
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