Women's Volleyball Hires Erik Olson To Coaching Staff
March 21, 2001
Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) — – Head women’s volleyball coach Nicole Lantagne has announced the addition of Erik Olson to the inaugural coaching staff of the University of Miami women’s volleyball team for the 2001 season.
Olson comes to Coral Gables from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he was an assistant for one season on the Panthers women’s volleyball staff. Prior to UWM, Olson spent six years as a head coach at the high school and club level. Additionally, he was a standout player at UWM from 1991-95.
“We are excited to add Erik Olson to our coaching staff,” said Lantagne. “It is another step in the continual building of our volleyball program. He brings both energy and experience to this staff. Erik stood out because of his ability to train in the gym and his background in building a program from scratch.”
Olson brings plenty of coaching experience to the Hurricanes’ bench after his one season at UWM helping them to an NCAA Tournament appearance. He also spent three years as a girls’ coach at Shorewood High School and three years as a boys’ coach at Marquette University High School. Additionally, Olson spent six years as a club coach for North Shore Milwaukee Volleyball Club.
Last year, Olson was selected as an assistant coach of the 2000 USA Men’s Junior National Team. He also was the Co-Head Coach of the 1999 Boys’ USA National High Performance Camp at hte Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
In his eight years as a head coach at the high school and club level, Olson has coached 11 All-Americans, 25 All-Conference players, two conference MVP’s, five FAB 50 picks, 13 Division I scholarship players, and the starting setter of the 1999 USA Boys’ Youth National Team.
In 2000, UWM received an at-large berth into the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament and were seeded 11th in the Mideast Region. Last season, the Panthers won their fifth-straight regular season Midwestern Collegiate Conference championship and were tied for fifth in the final NCAA Midwest Region poll. His duties included training the team in team blocking, middle-blocker training, second team scrimmages and tape exchange.
Besides coaching, Olson has worked as Co-Director of the North Shore Milwaukee Volleyball Club, Inc. and as a computer and technical aide at Shorewood (WI) High School. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in geology from UWM in 1997.
The 2001 season will feature 12 home matches for the Hurricanes, including the University of Miami Tournament, September 7-8. UM will play its home contests in the Knight Sports Complex, adjacent to the Hecht Athletic Center on UM’s Coral Gables campus.
