DETROIT - Wayne State University head volleyball coach Phil Nickel has announced that Kylie McCulley will be joining the program as a graduate assistant coach for the 2011 season.
After lettering four years (2006-09) in volleyball at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, McCulley spent the last year as a volleyball coach at Champaign Central High School before coming to WSU to pursue her postgraduate studies.
"I am thrilled to have Kylie join our family at Wayne State," said Nickel. "It isn’t everyday that we get to add someone to our program that played for one of the top Division I programs in the country, has successful experience as a head coach, and is the kind of person we want as a role model for our players. We often talk about our program improving with the signing of recruits, but today, our program improved with the addition of Kylie McCulley."
McCulley was a starting outside hitter for the Fighting Illini, helping the team to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2008 and 2009. She became just the third Illini player since 1996 to join the 20-20 club (over 20 kills and 20 digs in one match) as a junior. McCulley reached the 1,000 career kills mark her senior year during which she ranked 10th in the conference in kills per set (3.14). She was also an Academic All-Big Ten selection.
A native of Clinton, Ill., and a 2006 graduate of Clinton Community High School, McCulley earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education in May.
