It’s the start of a new era for Penn volleyball.
Nearly a month after former head coach Meredith Schamun’s resignation from the Red and Blue, Tyler Hagstrom has been named the new head coach of the program, Penn Athletics announced Wednesday. Hagstrom previously served as head coach at Bucknell — a position he held since 2020 — with his five years of coaching bringing the Bison volleyball program to new heights.
“Tyler has led winning teams at similar high-academic institutions during his time as a head and assistant coach. Penn volleyball is a team on the rise in the Ivy League, and we are confident that Tyler is the leader to get us to the next step in the program’s evolution,” 1996 College graduate and T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W‘69 Director of Athletics and Recreation Alanna Wren said in a press release announcing the decision.
Hagstrom’s first full season with the Bison in the fall of 2021 culminated in a 3-13 finish in the Patriot League. However, he would soon go down in program history as the coach with the highest winning percentage.
In 2022, he brought the Bison to championship contention with an 8-8 finish in the Patriot League, the program’s first non-losing conference record since 2010. Hagstrom continued this streak: for the next two seasons, the Bison contended for the championship title in the Patriot League, finishing 11-5 in 2023 and 13-3 in 2024.
The 13 wins in the 2024 season marked a new program record, with the team also setting records in points, assists, kills, opponent hitting percentage, and digs.
Hagstrom was named Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2024 for setting a .808 winning percentage, the highest in team history. Hagstrom stepped down from the helm with a 59-48 overall record, having coached 10 all-league players, two Patriot League Liberos of the Year, and the Eastern College Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
“I am incredibly grateful to Bucknell University for the opportunity to lead the volleyball program over the last five years,” Hagstrom said in a Bucknell annoucement. “From record-setting seasons to developing a strong team culture, I’m so proud of all we’ve accomplished together. The future of Bucknell Volleyball is undeniably bright, and I’ll be cheering them on every step of the way.”
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