Women's Volleyball | 9/1/2020 1:33:00 PM

     WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty University athletic director Lynn Ullom introduced Riley Schenk as the Hilltoppers' new women's volleyball coach during a Tuesday morning press conference on the WLU campus. Schenk replaces Kayla Mull, the winningest head coach in program history, who stepped down earlier this summer in order to spend more time with her family.
     This is a homecoming of sorts for Schenk, who helped lead the Lady Hilltoppers to 41 wins over the past two seasons while serving as Mull's graduate assistant coach. That 2-year run was highlighted by a 24-10 record in 2018 which included the program's first NCAA Division II regional ranking and a runner-up finish in the Mountain East Conference standings.
     Schenk left West Liberty in February to accept the position of lead assistant for the men's and women's volleyball programs at NCAA Division III Penn State-Behrend in Erie, Pa. but jumped at the chance to come back "home."
     "I am incredibly excited and deeply appreciative to have the opportunity to be back on the hilltop coaching these amazing young women on our volleyball team," Schenk said. "The people at West Liberty truly make the university feel like home and it's an honor to be chosen as their head coach."
     A native of Lorain, Ohio, Schenk enjoyed an impressive playing career at NCAA Division III Mount Union University in Alliance, Ohio. The 4-year starter was a two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference setter, earning OAC Player of the Week, first-team All-OAC and honorable mention AVCA All-Great Lakes Region laurels during a stellar senior season.
     Schenk holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sport Business with a double minor in Business Administration and Psychology from Mount Union and recently completed her Master's of Education in Sports Leadership and Coaching at West Liberty. She is a graduate of Amherst (Ohio) Steele High School.
     "West Liberty University is known for its strong commitment to athletic and academic success," Schenk said. "Coach Mull provided a strong base for our program in both areas and I want to build on that foundation. As you can tell, I'm extremely passionate about our program, our sport and our university. I can't wait to get started!"
     Ullom also expressed his appreciation for Mull's work in rebuilding the WLU volleyball brand and said Schenk's competitive drive and energy will keep the program on the rise.
     "Riley made a tremendous impression on all of us during her two years as a graduate assistant," Ullom said. "Her enthusiasm and passion for the sport and her student-athletes really shone through during the interview process. We are extremely grateful to Kayla for the job she did in putting West Liberty volleyball on the map and strongly believe that Riley is the right person at the right time to take our program where we want to go."
      Schenk's coaching debut will be put on hold for a few months as the Mountain East Conference has shifted all fall sports – football, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, and men's and women's cross country – for the 2020-21 academic year to spring 2021. The Lady Hilltoppers' schedule will be released at a later date.