Anders Nelson gets to build Vanderbilt’s volleyball program from scratch

There’s going to be a lot of hurry up and a lot of waiting for Anders Nelson as he builds the Vanderbilt women’s volleyball program from scratch.

The longtime Kentucky assistant got what many considered the job of all head-coaching jobs, getting to start a program that doesn’t play until 2025. Vandy, located in Nashville, is the only private school in the SEC and considered one of the top academic schools in the country.

We talked about the challenges ahead, the hiring of staff — he drops plenty of hints about who will be his second assistant — and the plan for the Vanderbilt program. Nelson, is from St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, played at Ball State, is 35 and coached at Kentucky for 11 seasons, which included winning the 2020 (spring 2021) NCAA championship: