Darcy Dorton was named the new coach for Eastern Michigan University’s volleyball team on Feb. 18 after an extensive search for a new coach.

The Eagles are arguably coming off their most successful season, finishing with a 21-14 record, winning their first ever MAC Championship, and earning their first bid to the NCAA Tournament in program history. Despite all of the success of the 2018 season, the former coach Kimi Olson decided she would be leaving the program to accept an associate coaching job at Michigan State University.

“I owe a special thank you to Eastern Michigan University and the athletics family for an opportunity to lead a program to new heights, including our first MAC Championship,” Olson said in a post on Twitter. 

The departure of Olson left a significant void that had to be filled, and after nearly a month-long coaching search, Dorton was selected for the job after serving as an assistant coach on the Eagles coaching staff since 2015. During her time as an assistant coach, Dorton oversaw training and player development for the team. The Eagles have reached the MAC Tournament in three of the four years Dorton has been on the staff.

“Her past experience as a student-athlete, vision for how our program can grow, and familiarity with our current team made her stand out during our search,” Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee said in a press release. “I am confident that our volleyball student-athletes will continue to have a great experience under her leadership.”

Dorton brings a winning pedigree to Ypsilanti. As a student-athlete, she played collegiate volleyball at Penn State and Charleston State. While at Penn State, she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2009. The Nittany Lions would go on to win the National Championship that year. Penn State went on to win the National Championship again in 2010.

After transferring from Penn State after the 2011 season, Dorton ended up at College of Charleston, where her winning ways continued. While there, she was named a 2012 American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American Honorable Mention, the first ever in program history. She would record 4.2 kills per set, which would rank fourth in Charleston program history. 

Dorton has now become the ninth head coach to lead the volleyball program since its inception in 1976. This will be Dorton's first time as a head coach in charge of her own program, but she already seems more than ready to take on that challenge.

“I believe so strongly in this program’s ability to be great and am ready to take on the challenge of defending Eastern Michigan volleyball’s first Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship Title,” Dorton said in a press release.

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