LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State University volleyball program will be under new leadership as
Melissa Robinson was named Head Coach, announced Wednesday.
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"I am truly honored to have the opportunity to become the head coach at Alcorn State University. This is a school with a lot of rich history. The team has a lot of returning pieces in the upcoming year, but I'd also like to add more depth as well as strengthen what we have. I look forward to beginning practices this spring and am excited to get started," Robinson said.
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Robinson has spent the last four years as a head coach. Most recently, she served at Auburn University at Montgomery where she built the first-ever volleyball program in school history.
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"We are very pleased to announce Coach Robinson as the new leader of our volleyball program. Coach Robinson experienced creating a volleyball program from scratch at AUM and is deeply committed to developing student-athletes. Not only were her teams competitive on the floor, but also excelled in the classroom. Coach Robinson has tremendous passion for volleyball and we welcome her to the Alcorn family," said director of athletics
Derek Horne.
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Prior to her time at AUM, Robinson completed a two-year stint at Tuskegee University where she was just the second head coach in school history. She posted a 32-32 record, including a 25-16 mark in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
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In her first season, she coached the team to an 18-13 mark, the most wins by the program since 1997.
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While at Tuskegee, Robinson also coached four all-conference performers, including the 2015 Co-SIAC Player of the Year, and one All-South Region performer. She also guided a student-athlete to the NCAA Division II Statistical Championship in "Aces per Set" during her first season there.
Robinson directed all aspects of the program, including the organization of practices and contests; team travel; budget management; recruiting; scheduling; supervision of team academics; and team fundraising.
Prior to her tenure at Tuskegee, Robinson was an assistant coach at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She played a key role in helping the Panthers qualify for their first NCAA Regional, and she also coached three all-conference performers.
Robinson served as an assistant coach at her alma mater South Carolina State University (SCSU) in 2013 as well as the program's graduate assistant in 2012. She also worked with the OLC Volleyball Club in Orangeburg, where she guided a team to a fifth-place finish in the South Carolina club division.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Robinson enjoyed a stellar three-year career with the Lady Bulldogs of SCSU, helping the team to the 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship. She finished her career with 128 kills, 134 assists and 996 digs, breaking the school season record as a senior with 449 digs. She also holds a school record for serving seven aces in one set. Off the court, she was a member of the SCSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Robinson played for former Alcorn great Millicent Sylvan at SCSU.
A native of Tallahassee, Florida, Robinson earned her bachelor's degree from SCSU in 2012.
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