CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Eastern Illinois volleyball program announces the hiring of Ryan Sweitzer as the new Panther assistant coach, as announced by head coach Kate Price.

A former standout at Penn State (2006-09), he was a member of the NCAA National Championship squad as a junior in 2008. Sweitzer has most recently been playing internationally as a member of the Falkenberg, Sweden squad that annually finished in the top of the league.

“I am very excited about Ryan being a part of the staff, as are the players,” said Kate Price. “He has a very strong volleyball IQ and I believe he will help our offense tremendously. Coming from the men's game and having played at such a high level, I am very confident in Ryan's abilities to transfer that experience into coaching.”

A four-time letter winner as a Nittany Lion, Sweitzer earned First Team and Second Team All-EIVA (Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) honors, while also being named to the Hawaii all-tournament unit.

The 6-5 opposite hitter connected for double-digit kills as the Nittany Lions topped Pepperdine to win the program's second national title in 2008, joining the Penn State women's program who also won the volleyball title that previous fall season.

After redshirting his first season, Sweitzer would complete four-years at PSU with a .303 career hitting average, where he nailed a career high 346 kills as a senior, and also finished with 104 digs, 37 aces and 416 points, which were all single-season highs for the Lancaster, Penn., native.

While playing in Sweden, he not only garnered votes for both 'Player of the Year' and 'Rookie of the Year', but the team collected the Grand Prix Championship. His play helped him record the most points scored (for kills, aces and blocks) in both Elite League and Grand Prix action.

“I'm excited to be here,” said Sweitzer. “I'm ready for the season to start and the incoming players to get here. I look forward to work with Kate and to continue to improve the Panther program. I'm confident that our volleyball experience will be shown in our ability to help Eastern get to the top of the Ohio Valley Conference.”

His coaching experience includes working as the assistant director of the prestigious Penn State women's volleyball clinic, as well as coaching numerous squads at various high-level camps and clinics throughout the United States.

Sweitzer received his degree in integrative arts as a student-athlete at Penn State, which includes work as a webpage and graphic designer.

The upcoming 2010 Panther squad returns nine players and several outstanding recruits and will look to improve on last season's eighth place league finish, although the team did more than double their overall win total from the previous year.

... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID