GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — West Michigan Pro Volleyball (WMPVB) is ready to make its mark and has chosen a Head Coach that is up to the challenge.
In a Monday press conference, WMPVB named Cathy George as the team’s head coach and director of volleyball operations.
George is no stranger to volleyball or winning, holding the most wins in the history of Michigan State University, and ranking 15th among active Division I coaches and third in the Big Ten.
At Michigan State, George amassed a 302-233 record (.564) record, qualified for the NCAA tournament 10 times, and reached the NCAA Elite Eight in 2017, when her team’s final ranking of No. 8 in the AVCA national poll was the program’s highest since the 1996 season. The Spartans made seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2011-17 – the second-longest streak in school history – winning at least one game in each tournament and earning the second and third NCAA Sweet 16 berths of George’s tenure.
George became the first woman to coach in the NCAA D1 Final Four when she took her University of Texas-Arlington program to the national semifinals in 1989. She has made 15 NCAA tournament appearances, coached 26 AVCA All-Americans, and garnered a slew of coaching honors.
“This opportunity is a great fit for me. I’m really happy about working for DP Fox Sports and the Pro Volleyball Federation,” said George. "I trust in this group of people and believe in what they are doing for the sport of volleyball. I always have loved volleyball; I loved playing it, coaching it, I have loved being with players and helping them grow, and I really love when teams come together and operate as one. To experience the connectedness that makes a team great is so special, and I miss all those things, no doubt about it.”
Before MUS, George spent 11 seasons at Western Michigan University from 1994-2004. She earned MAC Coach of the Year, a MAC title and took her team for the NCAA Tournament.
“We are thrilled to have secured a volleyball coach of the highest caliber for our team,” said Scott Gorsline, executive vice president – family investments for DP Fox, the parent company of WMPVB. “Having been a head coach at the Division I level in Michigan for 28 years, Cathy is among the most highly qualified, accomplished, and respected volleyball coaches in the state, and she’s well-known to volleyball people both here and around the country."
The inaugural first season for the West Michigan Pro Volleyball team is in February 2024. For more information, you can visit their website.
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