Jan. 18, 2011
Contact: Greg Murphy
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Brian Coughlin, an assistant volleyball coach at Cleveland State for the last three seasons, was recently named the head volleyball coach at Lake Erie College.
Coughlin was an assistant coach at CSU from 2008-10, helping the Vikings to 59 victories and a .634 winning percentage during that stretch, including a 48-15 mark the last two years. The Vikings advanced to a pair of Horizon League Championship matches and won the school's first outright Horizon League regular season title in 2009.
"I'm very excited and grateful for the opportunity to lead this program and be a part of the Lake Erie family," Coughlin said. "From everything I have seen there is a tremendous amount of talent already here and in the area. I feel confident that we can be competitive in the conference and, given time, can compete at the top of the league.
"At the same time, it is bittersweet to leave a place like Cleveland State. I will be forever thankful to head coach Chuck Voss and assistant coach Phil Abiad for giving me a chance to be on the staff and develop as a coach. I have learned so much from them during my time at CSU and hope to use everything that I have learned over the last three years."
In addition to his on-court coaching duties at CSU, Coughlin also assisted with video and film, helped with the preparation of scouting reports and worked summer camps as an instructor.
Coughlin arrived at CSU after a highly successful career as a high school coach in which he posted a 105-27 overall record, including a 60-4 league record, at three schools. At Kenston High, he directed the team to four conference titles, a pair of district and one regional championship while sending 10 players into the collegiate volleyball ranks.
Prior to that, he was the head girl's varsity coach at North Ridgeville and Brunswick high schools and directed the boy's program at Brunswick as well. He was a four-time coach of the year honoree, including the 2000 Plain Dealer Coach of the Year.
Coughlin has also coached the Maverick Juniors Club team for five years.
A graduate of Brunswick High, Coughlin earned his Bachelor's of Art in philosophy from Akron in 2003.
