Stetson has hired long-time Missouri assistant Deng Yang as its new indoor coach.
The opening was created when the school split its indoor and beach programs and coach Kristina Hernandez went to the sand.
There were three NCAA men’s matches on Tuesday, with King, North Greenville and Charleston getting victories.
Wednesday’s men’s slate includes Princeton of the EIVA (2-3) at UC San Diego of the MPSF (2-5, 0-4), a Conference Carolinas match with Lees-McRae (1-5, 0-1) at Belmont Abbey (0-4, 0-2), and in the MPSF, No. 6 UC Irvine (7-3, 4-2) at Cal Baptist (2-7, 1-5).
Stetson hires Yang: The former NAIA player of the year was at Missouri the past 17 years. The Tigers went to the NCAA Tournament round of 16 this past season.
Yang has a tough rebuilding job ahead: Stetson went 4-25 this past season, 1-13 in the Atlantic Sun.
Yang, who is from Changzhou, China, came to America in 1998 and played two seasons for the Columbia College, which then won two NAIA national titles. In 1989 she was named the national player of the year and MVP of the national tournament.
Yang competed three years for the Chinese Junior National team and one year for the Chinese women’s national team.
“I’m so looking forward to getting to know the players and staff. I’m confident that we are going to build strong relationships and work hard together to move the program forward,” Yang said in a Stetson news release.
“We are excited for Deng Yang as she takes this next step in her coaching career,” Missouri coach Wayne Kreklow said in the release.
”I think it is a great move and a great fit for both Stetson and Deng Yang. She has been an outstanding assistant coach and has all the tools to be a great head coach. I think Stetson made a great choice and she is going to do great things.”
Openings remain: Virginia has yet to replace Dennis Hohenshelt, Indiana State needs to replace Traci Dahl-Skinner, Manhattan still has an opening created when Mark Jones left, and no one has filled the spot left by Kerry Major Carr, who resigned after 19 years at Penn. Coppin State has an opening for head coach.
Also, the website for Rhode Island, where Bob Schneck retired after 37 years, lists its head coach as “TBA.”
Tuesday’s recaps: King improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in Conference Carolinas by beating visiting Pfeiffer with the result in each set 25-13, 25-13, 25-13. It left Pfeiffer 0-2, both in CC matches.
Eddie Moushikhian led King with 10 kills and hit .625. He also had two aces and five digs. Jeff Sprayberry, Adrian Besson and Kiel Bell added five kills each. King set a school record by hitting .644.
Jesse Print had 11 kills for Pfeiffer and hit .322, but his team hit .092.
North Greenville beat visiting Limestone in an exciting five, 26-24, 15-25, 19-25, 25-14, 20-18. The fifth set was tied 15 times and Limestone led 18-17. But Kyle Brandt got a kill for North Greenville to tie it, his team went up 19-18 on a Limestone attack error and then won it on Aaron Campbell’s match-high 20th kill. It left Limestone 3-2, 3-1 and North Greenville 3-6, 2-2.
Campbell finished 20 for 50 with seven errors and hit .260. He also had eight digs and four blocks. Grayson Lawrence had 11 kills and three digs. Matthew McManaway had nine kills and Brandt eight.
Bruno Kertzchmar led Limestone with 15 kills, hitting .357, and had nine digs. Kevin Rocklein, the reigning CC POW, had 14 kills and three aces and Dylan Lavner had 10 kills.
Charleston of the EIVA improved to 4-3 by beating winless Bluefield of the NAIA 25-16, 25-10, 25-8.
Rajahl Moxey and Bryant Eckstein led with nine kills each and Moxey had five blocks. Bluefield, 0-4, hit minus -.107.
