HBCU Sports
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • PODCASTS
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
No Result
View All Result
HBCU Sports
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • PODCASTS
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE
No Result
View All Result
HBCU Sports
No Result
View All Result

Home Volleyball

Central State names Ray Lewis its first head volleyball coach

HBCU Sports by HBCU Sports
October 28, 2020
1
Ray Lewis named head volleyball coach at Central State

Photo: EVJVolleyball.com

267
VIEWS

You might also like

Justin Longstreet pushes Clark Atlanta to an 80-74 win over Central State

HBCU Football: The 8 Takeaways from Week 5

Six takeaways from Week 2 of the 2022 HBCU football season

WILBERFORCE, Ohio — The Central State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has selected Ray Lewis to serve as the head men’s and women’s volleyball coach. Lewis will officially begin his duties as head coach on Nov. 1.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to lead a new era of Central State University volleyball,” said Lewis. “It is exciting to be able to coach an up and coming women’s program while building a men’s program from the ground up. With the talent pool available in Ohio as well as a growing interest in the sport, we have a great opportunity to establish CSU’s reputation as a volleyball powerhouse.”

CSU Director of Athletics Tara A. Owens emphasized the importance of the student-athlete experience as part of the selection process.

“We are pleased to welcome Ray Lewis to Central State University. Throughout his coaching career, Coach Lewis has demonstrated his abilities to develop and lead programs to success on and off the court,” said Owens. “We believe Coach Lewis will take our women’s volleyball program to new heights while building our men’s program into a perennial contender. Under his guidance, our student-athletes will flourish on the court and in the classroom.”

Lewis comes to CSU with a national championship pedigree. In his second season as head coach of Benedictine University at Mesa (Ariz.), Lewis guided the Redhawks to the 2019 NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. The team finished 26-4 on the season and featured four NAIA All-Americans and the NAIA Tournament MVP. The Redhawks went a perfect 10-0 in the Golden State Athletic Conference and Lewis was named NAIA and GSAC Coach of the Year.

In his first season as head coach at Benedictine-Mesa, Lewis led the Redhawks to the school’s first-ever NAIA National Tournament berth, and his team took that opportunity to finish as NAIA Runners with a 21-9 record a final national ranking of No. 2 in the final NAIA poll.

As an assistant in 2017, Lewis helped the Redhawks place first in the conference, ranking as high as No. 9 nationally, while earning the honor to host the school’s first-ever conference tournament.

Under Lewis’ tutelage, his players at Benedictine-Mesa have earned six NAIA All-American honors, two GSAC Player of the Year honors, two GSAC Defensive Player of the Year selections, two GSAC Setter of the Year selections, a GSAC Newcomer of the Year and six different All-Conference honorees.

Lewis also coached the boys’ volleyball team at Mesa High School and earned the honor of East Valley Region Coach of the Year during his first season in 2017. He also assisted with the Arizona Sizzle men’s professional team in the newly established National Volleyball Association (NVA).

Lewis had a successful stint in his home state of Nevada at the high school level, serving as head coach for both the boy’s and girls’ volleyball teams at Legacy High School for four seasons. His boy’s program won a state title in 2014 and finished runners up in 2015. He was named SNVCA State Coach of the Year in 2014 for his state title-winning team. He also led the girl’s program to three straight playoff appearances for the first time in school history.

He has also achieved success at the club level, leading his teams to three consecutive top 20 finishes at the Boy’s Junior National Championships. During that span, he sent over 75 percent of his senior club athletes to play collegiate volleyball.

Lewis had a successful playing career at Lakeland College in Wisconsin, helping his team to a runner-up finish at the NCVF National Championships. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Benedictine University of Mesa. He is currently Level II certified by the USA Volleyball Coaches Accreditation Program.

In concordance with the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s decision to suspend all fall sports for the 2020 season, the Lady Marauder volleyball program did not participate in competition in the fall. CSU was 10-22 in 2019 with a 9-9 ledger in SIAC play.

CSU’s decision to move forward with the addition of men’s volleyball was also made in September of 2019 thanks to the guidance and financial support of First Point Volleyball Foundation and USA Volleyball. CSU received a $150,000 gift from First Point Volleyball Foundation and USA Volleyball to help solidify the startup costs of the men’s program.

Courtesy: Central State Athletics



Tags: Central State
HBCU Sports

HBCU Sports

Next Post
Antonio O. Davis, Central State University

Antonio Davis tabbed as new men's basketball coach at Central State

Comments 1

  1. Pingback: Central State tabs Antonio Davis as new men's basketball coach

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

  • Edgerrin James said Shaq, billionaires were ready to invest in Bethune-Cookman before Ed Reed ouster
  • Vote now for the 2022 HBCU Sports Band of the Year
  • Bethune Cookman football players petition school to reinstate Ed Reed after dismissal
  • White FBS quarterback recruit who lost scholarship over use of N-word gets offer from HBCU
  • Ed Reed is out. These are the candidates Bethune-Cookman should consider as head coach
  • Bethune-Cookman president outlines reasons for school split from Ed Reed
  • Ed Reed said he turned down Jackson State to coach at Bethune-Cookman
  • ‘They don’t want me here’: Ed Reed claims Bethune-Cookman has forced him out as head coach
  • Deion Sanders on Ed Reed comments: ‘He got it right’
  • Norfolk State’s Spartan Legion Marching Band voted 2022 HBCU Sports Band of the Year

RSS HBCU Sports Forums

  • Donating to BCU
  • Bigmanofds
  • Brian Kelly Overpaid
  • Shannon Sharpe
  • Lighten the Mood 10th Edition
  • Memphis Police Officers Charged With Murder
  • Chicago State University is convening an exploratory committee to be Chicago's first Division I football program on the Southside
  • Lets WISE UP!! The truth is coming out.
  • Reggie Speaks
  • Oh Lawd (Sydney Carter Basketball Coach) Looking like a Superhero
  • TERMS & CONDITIONS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • COMMENT POLICY
  • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
 CONTACT US

© 2022 RASHAD MEDIA - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PARTNER OF IONE DIGITAL / CASSIUS NETWORK

No Result
View All Result
  • SECTIONS
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Track & Field
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Bowling
    • Other Sports
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Features
  • BANDS
  • PODCASTS
  • FORUMS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • DONATE

© 2022 RASHAD MEDIA - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PARTNER OF IONE DIGITAL / CASSIUS NETWORK

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

X