The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Alan Segal Named Volleyball Coach At Eastern Illinois
1/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Jan. 23, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB assistant volleyball coach Alan Segal has been named the head volleyball coach at Eastern Illinois, as announced Friday by EIU athletic director Barbara Burke.
"I am excited to be at Eastern Illinois and for this opportunity," Segal said. "I'm excited to see what we can do to be competitive in the (Ohio Valley Conference) and put the program back on pace to challenge for the OVC championship and NCAA appearances.
"I would also like to thank Kerry and Hal Messersmith, along with the UAB administration, for the opportunity to work with the Blazer volleyball program."
Segal spent the 2008 season as an assistant with the Blazers, helping UAB to one of the most successful seasons in team history. The Blazers posted a 27-8 record, finished second in Conference USA at 13-3 and earned the program's first ever NCAA tournament victory.
"We're all very ecstatic for Alan," UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "He's been a tremendous help to our program, and it's always good to see people in your program succeed. We knew when he came here that Alan would soon be a Division I head coach."
Prior to joining the staff at UAB, Segal served stints as the head coach at both Michigan Tech and Armstrong Atlantic. At Armstrong, he guided his teams to five consecutive NCAA Division II tournaments and was a three-time Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year.
Segal will become the ninth head coach in Eastern Illinois volleyball history. The Panthers finished the 2008 season at 5-24 overall and 2-16 in the OVC.
