Major turnaround for coach

The Penn volleyball team went from sixth place in the Ivy League to first in just four years.

And apparently Ancient Eight teams and coaches weren't the only ones that noticed.

It was announced yesterday that Penn coach Kerry Major was selected as the Tachikara/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Northeast Region Coach of the Year.

"I was so shocked, because there's so many great coaches in the Northeast," Major said. "I'm very honored, and I think it's just a great reflection on the Penn volleyball team in general."

Major led the Quakers (18-7 overall, 11-3 Ivy League) to their first Ivy crown since 1990 and their first-ever NCAA berth.

"They must have looked at the fact that we improved so quickly, because we're not even ranked in the [Northeast]," Major said. "That's why I think it's such a huge honor. And us playing well against UCLA [at NCAAs] probably helped as much as anything."

Only seven other coaches in the nation were honored by the AVCA. Among them was North Carolina coach Joe Sagula, who coached at Penn from 1981-1989.

Sagula is the winningest coach in Penn women's volleyball history, notching 200 wins in his nine seasons with the Quakers.

This year, he was honored as the East Region Coach of the Year after leading the Tar Heels to their third straight Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship.

"Joseph Sagula got the award for the East, and I think of him as a great coach," Major said. "He won the Ivy League championship [three times], so I feel like I'm in great company."

This announcement came just a few weeks after senior middle hitter Kelly Szczerba, sophomore outside hitter Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan and junior right-side hitter Stacey Carter were named to the 2001 All-Ivy team.

Szczerba and Kwak-Hefferan were first team All-Ivy selections, while Carter was an honorable mention recipient.

Szczerba, who was also a first team selection last season, finished second in the Ivies in blocks per game (1.51).

Kwak-Hefferan, an honorable mention selection in 2000, finished third in the league in digs per game (3.81), third in kills per game (3.88) and seventh in hitting percentage (.261).

"I think [Elisabeth] and Kelly are better than their stats show," Major said. "I'm glad the other coaches took the time to actually remember the games that we played against them and look at who had the most impact."

Carter ended the season with a .264 hitting percentage, good enough for sixth in the Ivies.

"I was pretty surprised," Carter said. "I figured that a bunch of people on our team would get selected, but I didn't expect to be on there at all."

But then again, Penn's 2001 season has been all about exceeding expectations.

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