The coaching carousel is already spinning in NCAA Division I women’s college volleyball.
Cal’s Matt McShane is on a “leave of absence,” Georgetown coach Arlisa Williams resigned Sunday, and South Carolina has operated most of this season with an interim head coach.
McShane, who was not with the Bears when they lost to USC on Friday, was not with the team again Sunday when it lost to UCLA. In both matches, Jennifer Dorr served as head coach. Dorr is in her fifth season as a Cal assistant.
Cal has not had one word about McShane on its website or in news releases. When asked about it, an athletic department spokesman said by email that McShane “is on a leave of absence for the rest of the season.”
No reason was given, but a source told VolleyballMag.com that McShane is not out voluntarily.
McShane was promoted as Cal’s head coach last May 9 after Rich Feller retired. McShane, who was a Cal assistant from 2005-09, left to become the head coach at Air Force but returned to re-join Feller in 2016 as associate head coach.
Cal has hit hard times the past four seasons. This season, Cal is 13-16 overall, 4-14 in the Pac-12. Cal was 9-21, 3-17 in 2016. The Bears were 9-22, 3-17 in 2015, and 10-20, 2-18 in 2014. In 2013 Cal finished 18-13, 10-10, losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Cal’s last two matches of this season are at home, against Colorado on Wednesday and against Stanford on Saturday.
Williams out at Georgetown: The team ended its season Saturday with a five-set loss to league-champion Creighton to finish 8-22, 2-16 in the Big East.
“I’d like to thank Arlisa for her many years of service here at Georgetown, and her dedication to both the program and her student-athletes,” Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed said. “We are losing an experienced coach with a passion for teaching, and I wish her well in her future endeavors.”
The university statement said Georgetown will conduct a national search for her replacement.
Williams had a record of 122-231 in 12 years at Georgetown. The Hoyas expect to return 13 letterwinners, including five starters, in 2018.
South Carolina still interim: Dottie Hampton is listed as interim head coach and Shonda Cole as assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator. They were promoted on October 4 when Scott Swanson was fired with the team holding a 9-6 record, 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Now the Gamecocks are 12-16 overall, 5-11 in the SEC with two matches left.
Swanson was in the middle of his seventh year and had a record of 101-99, 35-80 in the SEC, when he was “relieved of head coaching duties for the University of South Carolina volleyball program, effective immediately,” by athletic director Ray Tanner.
