The volleyball team at Fort Lewis College has a new head coach.
Tricia Melfy will take over head coaching duties for the program, the athletic director Barney Hinkle announced late Wednesday night.
“I am humbled and honored for the opportunity to lead the Fort Lewis College Skyhawk volleyball program,” Melfy said in a news release. “... After meeting the team, it is clear that they are motivated and hungry for success. I am excited to get to work with this great group of young ladies, be a part of a dynamic staff at Fort Lewis College and become a member of the beautiful town of Durango.”
Melfy will bring more than two decades of coaching experience to the Skyhawks. She last coached at Phoenix College, a junior college in Phoenix, for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In her first year at Phoenix College, the Bears went 7-16, one of only five seasons in which a Melfy-coached team didn’t have a winning record in her 23 years of coaching experience. The Bears bounced back in 2017 and finished 12-10.
Along with coaching experience at the junior college level, Melfy has spent time at the club and high school ranks and has amassed more than 400 career wins as a coach.
“Her background and experience matched perfectly with the needs that were identified by our search committee,” FLC athletic director Barney Hinkle said in the news release.
Melfy takes over the Skyhawks following the resignation of Kelley Rifilato in January. Rifilato was the head volleyball coach at FLC for five seasons and compiled an overall record of 38-94 and went 26-65 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
The Skyhawks went 9-17 overall and 4-14 in the RMAC in 2017. The team had only two seniors and was loaded with underclassmen.
Melfy received a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in 1994 and a master’s from Northern Arizona University in 2002. At ASU, Melfy was a NCAA All-American heptathlete in 1992 and 1994 and qualified for the Olympic Trials in 1992 and 1996.
The Skyhawks will open their season Aug. 31 at the Westminster Griffin Classic in Salt Lake City.
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