Women's Volleyball | April 1, 2019
PHILADELPHIA – La Salle University Director of Athletics
Bill Bradshaw has announced that
Andrew Kroger, a key part of the volleyball program's recent success, has been elevated to head coach.
Kroger served as an assistant under Caitlin Schweihofer for four seasons prior to being named associate head coach in 2018. The Explorers won 18 games and advanced to the first Atlantic 10 Championship in program history this past fall.
"Andrew has done a fantastic job over the last five years, lifting our volleyball program to heights it has not seen before," Bradshaw said. "He filled in admirably as acting head coach on two separate occasions, and has proven he can recruit student-athletes to La Salle that have excelled both on the court and in the classroom. We look forward to continued successes for him and the team in the future."
La Salle burst onto the scene in the Atlantic 10 last year, compiling the highest win total for a single season since 1991. A-10 Setter of the Year Katie Wood and First Team All-Atlantic 10 honoree
Devin Corah led a group of five individuals that earned postseason accolades, helping the Explorers advance to the semifinals of the league championship.
In 2017, Kroger was named acting head coach for the final two months of the season, as Schweihofer took a step back during her pregnancy. Dealing with numerous injuries, Kroger and the Explorers posted five wins over that span – including four in the A-10, which set a then-program mark.
"I would like to thank
Bill Bradshaw,
John Lyons and the rest of the hiring committee for this incredible opportunity," Kroger said. "I appreciate their belief in me to lead our program which has grown by leaps and bounds over the past five years. I am excited to continue working with this outstanding group of student athletes to achieve new milestones both on and off the court."
In his first season on campus, Kroger helped the program achieve a nine-game improvement from the previous season. He helped Ashley Felton record 54 block assists in 2014 which was the most in a season for La Salle since 2007.
In his second season at 20th and Olney, Kroger saw
Jensen Sharrits recognized on the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, the fourth to be recognized for All-Rookie in team history and saw the team honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award for squads who maintained a 3.30 cumulative average.
Kroger worked as an assistant at Villanova for three seasons prior to his move to La Salle. He oversaw the middle blockers and was also responsible for video analysis and tape exchange, as well as event management, team planning and statistics.
During the 2012 season Kroger helped coach a young Wildcats team which received excellent performances from its middles. Freshman Gabby Pethokoukis led the team in blocks and averaged over one block per set while ranking among the BIG EAST leaders in total blocks.
Prior to arriving at Villanova, Kroger was an assistant coach at Sycamore High School in Cincinnati and also coached at the Team Z Volleyball Club, where he was head coach for the 15 Navy and 15 Orange squads.
Kroger is a 2011 graduate of Xavier, where he was the president of the men's club volleyball team and also played on the squad for three years.
