Hollins University Acting Director of Athletics Bill Mannino is pleased to announce the hiring of Katherine Lawson to the position of head volleyball coach. Lawson is no stranger to the Hollins campus community as the newly appointed coach has worked in the Hollins admission department since July 2009.
“I am extremely honored to be the new head volleyball coach at Hollins University,” Lawson said. “While I am excited to work with the athletic department and returning team members, I am also looking forward to recruiting new student-athletes to Hollins.”
Lawson, a Bridgewater College graduate, is very familiar with the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). In addition to twice been named All-ODAC second team during her four-year playing career, she also earned ODAC Scholar-Athlete accolades. As a three-year starter, Lawson set four individual volleyball records, two of which are still standing, as well as serving as team captain while wearing an Eagles uniform.
After graduating cum laude from Bridgewater, Lawson embarked on her career in the education field. For three years Kat taught in the foreign language department at Hidden Valley High School while staying connected to the volleyball community by serving as an assistant coach at the Roanoke County high school. Lawson continued to serve on the Hidden Valley staff upon coming to Hollins as an admission counselor and assistant director of admission in 2009, helping lead the Titans to back-to-back final four appearances (2010 and 2011) in the state tournament.
Mannino is very excited about the future of the volleyball program. “Today is a big day for the Hollins volleyball program and the entire athletic department. Kat was a terrific volleyball player in the ODAC and will prove to be an excellent role model for our student-athletes. In addition to having strong ties to the volleyball community within the Roanoke and Shenandoah Valleys, Kat brings an energy and understanding that will be a great benefit to the program.”
Lawson will take over the day-to-day duties of the volleyball program immediately. For the remainder of the academic year, Lawson will continue to serve in the admission department as an application processor as well as recruiting student-athletes and overseeing spring volleyball practice.
The Roanoke, Virginia, native will continue to reside in the community with her husband, Ty, and son, Benjamin.
