Carrie Gonzalez Named Full-Time Volleyball Assistant at MTU

HOUGHTON, Mich. — Carrie Gonzalez has been hired as a full-time assistant volleyball coach at Michigan Technological University to start the 2010 season. The former NCAA Division I player and coach spent last season as a volunteer assistant at Tech with her husband and head coach, Orlando Gonzalez.

Carrie Gonzalez has 13 years of collegiate coaching experience, the most recent stop being at fellow Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member Northwood in 2008.

Prior to her time at Northwood, Gonzalez worked for USA Michigan Volleyball in Kalamazoo, where she served as the Director of Operations and travel team coordinator for 19 teams from 2006 to 2008.

Gonzalez was an assistant coach at the collegiate level from 1997-2005. She started her coaching career as an assistant at Western Illinois from 1997-99. Gonzalez spent the next four seasons (1999-2003) at Bradley before working at Central Michigan from 2003-05. She was the recruiting coordinator at all three institutions and served on the Gender Equity Committee for NCAA Certification at Bradley. During her time at Central Michigan, Gonzalez served as the spokesperson for the Mid-American Conference on the Assistant Coaches Committee for the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

She began her playing career at Florida helping the team to the Southeastern Conference Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Final Four in 1992 and 1993. Gonzalez then transferred to Maryland for the final two years of her career, helping the Terrapins reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1995.

A 1996 graduate of Maryland with a degree in sociology, Gonzalez earned her masters degree in physical education with an emphasis in sports administration and management from Western Illinois in 2003.

The Michigan Tech volleyball season will officially begin Sept. 3 at the Ferris State Invitational. Preseason practice for the squad will commence Monday, Aug. 16.