Fresno State axes volleyball coach after 10-season run

Fresno State volleyball coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell will not return for an 11th season following a 12-18 campaign this year that included a 7-11 record in the Mountain West Conference.

“Making a coaching change is never easy,” interim athletic director Steve Robertello said in a Tuesday news release. “Lauren worked tirelessly for Fresno State and the women’s volleyball program and always operated with the highest of integrity and in the best interest of the student-athlete.

“However, at this time we feel a new voice is needed to continue to move the program forward within the Mountain West Conference. We thank Lauren and her family for their service to the University and commitment to the student-athletes.”

Netherby-Sewell, 39, is one of three coaches to guide the volleyball program for at least a decade and her 132 wins rank third.

In her first nine seasons, 10 Bulldogs earned all-conference honors. There also were 81 academic all-conference selections, 29 Mountain West scholar-athletes, six academic all-district honors, and an academic all-American. Her teams earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award with a GPA at 3.30 or above in each of the past eight seasons.

But the Bulldogs were just 42-66 in Mountain West matches since joining the conference in 2012. Overall, she finishes 132-165 at Fresno State.

Netherby-Sewell joined the Bulldogs in February 2008 after two seasons as head coach at Hofstra, where she went 43-19 and led the Pride to the NCAA Tournament. She played collegiately at Nevada and prepped at San Clemente High.

A national search for her replacement at Fresno State will begin immediately, with assistant Sarah Chlebana taking over until a hire is made.

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Fresno State axes volleyball coach after 10-season run."