Crider Named Volleyball Associate Head Coach
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami head volleyball coach Jose “Keno” Gandara announced Friday the promotion of Kasey Crider to the position of associate head coach in advance of the 2018 Hurricane volleyball season.
Crider has been a member of Gandara’s staff since March 2015, helping the Hurricanes reach the NCAA tournament twice during his tenure. His primary responsibilities include working with Miami’s setters, scouting the opposing defense and formulating Miami’s offensive game plan. In addition to his role as an assistant coach, Crider has served as Miami’s recruiting coordinator since the spring of 2016.
“I came to this place unfamiliar with the school, the city and the people,” Crider said. “Over the last three years, each of those has become a significant part of my identity – parts of which I am particularly proud. I would hope my contributions to the program aren’t contingent upon my title, but I do take pride in and appreciate the fact that Keno believes me to be fit for the title of associate head coach.”
In his three seasons at Miami, Crider has helped the Hurricanes earn seven All-ACC honors, five AVCA all-region selections and eight All-ACC Academic honorees. Additionally, Olga Strantzali was named the 2017 ACC Player of the Year, 2017 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, 2017 AVCA All-East Coast Region Player of the Year and was a two-time AVCA All-America honorable mention pick over the three years Crider has coached at Miami.
Crider has helped develop one of the best setters in Hurricane history, as Haley Templeton has earned three All-ACC selections and two AVCA All-region honors. The rising redshirt senior enters her final season at Miami ranked third in program history with 3,671 assists (10.80 per set) and ninth with 98 service aces (0.29 per set). She also has the sixth-most assists in a single match in program history with 61 in a five-set victory at Duke on Oct. 13, 2017.
Miami has played in the NCAA tournament in 2015 and 2017 during Crider’s tenure, eclipsing the 20-win mark in each of those seasons. Most recently, the Hurricanes defeated the College of Charleston in the opening round of the 2017 tournament in a Gainesville, Fla., earning the program’s first tournament victory since 2014. The Canes fell to No. 2 Florida in four sets in an exciting second-round matchup to close the season 22-6 and finish with their best winning percentage since 2012. The Canes dropped an opening-round match to Iowa State in the 2015 NCAA tournament in Madison, Wisc.
The 2017 season saw Miami’s attack rank among the best in the conference. The Hurricanes topped the ACC in service aces with 1.71 per set and finished the season in the top three of two additional categories – hitting percentage (second with .246) and kills (tied for third with 13.64 per set).
Crider has earned the recognition of his peers in the coaching community. Following the 2015 season, Crider was honored as an AVCA Thirty Under 30 Award recipient. The award was created in 2009 to honor up-and-coming coaching talent at all levels of the sport.
“I have been blessed to work with some amazing coaches here at the University of Miami: Alex Dunphy, Lee Nelson, Sanja Tomasevic, Jill Hadder and Kasey Crider,” Gandara said. “These coaches have all have been instrumental in the success of this program. I have especially enjoyed working with Kasey since his arrival in 2015. Kasey deserves this new title as associate head coach in so many ways. He is an amazing teacher and an even better person. He understands and values his role as a coach and mentor to our players. He has played and understands the game at a very high level.
“I am grateful for all his contributions to this program the last three seasons. His role has evolved and he has found a way to make us better in all capacities. Most importantly, Kasey cares about each of our players and their well-being. He works extremely hard for them and has an enviable desire to continue to learn and develop as a coach and teacher.”
Prior to Miami, Crider spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant with the Stanford women’s volleyball program. In 2014, Crider helped the Cardinal win the Pac-12 Championships and earn the No. 1 overall seed in the 2014 NCAA tournament. He spent the 2012-13 season as a volunteer assistant coach for the men’s volleyball team at Pepperdine. Crider played for the Waves from 2008-11 and was a two-time All-American, ending his career ranked second in program history in assists (3,989).
Following his collegiate career, Crider played professionally overseas during the 2011-12 season for Boldklubben Marienlyst in Denmark. There he led the squad to first-place finishes in both the Nordic Cup and Danish Pokal Cup Championships. He was named the Danish Super League Player of the Year, while also earning the Best Setter Award and was picked as MVP of the Danish Pokal Cup Championship.
In addition to his duties at Miami, he also serves as the camp director for the Jose Gandara Volleyball Camp.
A native of Granite Bay, Calif., Crider graduated from Pepperdine with a degree in journalism in 2011.
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