LYNCHBURG, Va. --- University of Lynchburg volleyball coach Elizabeth Ellinger announced Wednesday that she will step down from her post, effective immediately, to pursue full-time administration of her Old Dominion Volleyball Academy.
Lynchburg named assistant coach Hannah Givens the team's interim head coach and will lead the program through the 2020 season.
"I am extremely grateful to have worked with such a tremendous group of student-athletes and support staff associated with Lynchburg volleyball," Ellinger said. "I'm proud of what our teams accomplished on the court and in the classroom, and I am eager to watch these future leaders as they pursue their career ambitions after graduation. I will miss this team and Lynchburg very much, but I am excited about what is next for myself and my coaching career."
Ellinger, a 2002 Lynchburg graduate, coached the Hornets to a 242-164 record and four Old Dominion Athletic Conference title-match appearances over 14 seasons. Her teams topped the 20-win plateau in four years.
She coached 13 All-ODAC players, an ODAC rookie of the year, a VaSID All-State rookie of the year, an AVCA All-South Region player, and an AVCA honorable mention All-American in her tenure.
A standout on the court for the Hornets in her own right, Ellinger still holds Lynchburg's records for kills in a match and kills in a single season, and she's second on the program's all-time kills, attack attempts, and blocks leaderboards. The Roanoke native was a three-time All-ODAC and two-time All-State performer.
"Coach Ellinger has invested her life into the program and has made an incredible impact on the women who have come through Lynchburg during her tenure," Lynchburg director of athletics Jon Waters said. "On behalf of the University, I want to thank her for her service to her alma mater."
Givens enters her second year in the Lynchburg program after a standout four-year career at Wingate University in Wingate, N.C., where she helped the Bulldogs to four NCAA Division II tournament appearances and was an All-South Region performer as a senior.
The Lynchburg volleyball team finished the 2019 season with a 16-11 record and reached the ODAC tournament quarterfinals.
One of the premier athletic departments in the ODAC, the Hornets athletic programs have laid claim to 15 conference titles in the past five years and have made 18 NCAA tournament appearances in that time.
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--- This release is courtesy of the University of Lynchburg sports information department. ---
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