CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois University director of athletics Barbara Burke has announced the hiring of Alan Segal as the new head volleyball coach. Segal becomes the 9th head coach in EIU volleyball history and will join the program on February 6.
Segal comes to EIU following one season as the assistant coach at UAB where he helped coach the Blazer program to a 27-8 record and second-round appearance in the NCAA Volleyball tournament. Segal helped mentor two honorable mention All-Americans on that squad as UAB made the NCAA tournament for only the second time in school history.
“I am excited to be at Eastern Illinois and for this opportunity,” said Segal. “I’m excited to see what we can do to be competitive in the OVC and put the program back on pace to challenge for the OVC championship and NCAA appearances.
“I would like to thank Ms. Burke and the committee for this chance to build the EIU program,” Segal added. “I would also like to thank Kerry and Hal Messersmith along with the UAB administration for the opportunity to work with the Blazer volleyball program.”
Prior to his stint at UAB, Segal spent nine seasons as the head coach at Armstrong Atlantic where he led the Pirates to back-to-back Peach Belt Conference regular-season titles, the first two league volleyball titles in school history.
A three-time Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year, Segal compiled a 233-104 overall record at Armstrong Atlantic making five straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances from 2000-05. In his first season at AASU he directed the program to 29 consecutive victories to open the season and finished the year with 36 wins. It was a 23 ½ game turnaround from the previous season, the biggest turnaround in the NCAA that year.
Segal also served two seasons at the head coach at Michigan Tech winning 40 matches and earning a No. 23 national ranking in 1997. His career coaching record is 273-136.
“We are very pleased to announce Alan (Segal) as the next volleyball coach at Eastern Illinois,” said Burke. “He has a proven track record of building programs at the NCAA Division II level as a head coach and the NCAA Division I level as an assistant coach. During an exhaustive national search he stood out as the best candidate to help rebuild EIU volleyball into one of the top programs in the Ohio Valley Conference.”
Segal’s additional coaching experience has come at all levels ranging from high school, NCAA Division I and internationally.
He is a 1982 graduate of California State University at Sacramento earning a Bachelor of Science degree in recreation administration. Segal is also a veteran volleyball official having worked the National Junior College Championships in 1994 and 1995. He is entering his 21st season as an official on the AVP Professional Beach Tour.
Segal will be on campus to meet with members of the media on Monday, Feb. 9.