The Benedictine College Athletic Department and Athletic Director Charlie Gartenmayer have announced the hire of Erin Pick-Cooper to the head volleyball coaching position.

"We are pleased that Coach Cooper is joining our staff here at Benedictine," said Gartenmayer. "She brings a wealth of experience at many levels of volleyball and we are excited to have her become part of the Benedictine community."

Coach Cooper's most recent stop was at defending Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Champion MNU in Olathe where she served as an assistant from 2010-11.

Prior to MNU she severed as an assistant coach at Mercer University in Macon, Ga.

The head coaching position at Benedictine will be her third head coaching job as she previously served as head coach at Dodge City Community College from 1999-2001 and Seminole State College from 2001-2007.

"I'm excited to become part of the Benedictine community," said Coach Cooper. "A lot of the colleges that I've been at haven't had the feel that Benedictine has. This really feels like it can be a home away from home for me."

She built the volleyball program at Seminole from scratch, guiding it to a No. 9 ranking in just three years after inception of the program. She was named Coach of the Year in 2004 and guided Seminole to a NJCAA Region II championship in 2004 and a runner up finish in Region II in 2005 and 2006.

"I look forward to being able to work with an athlete for four years," said Coach Cooper. "When I was coaching at the junior college level, I felt like I was just getting to see the greatness in a player and they moved on to play somewhere else."

Coach Cooper will begin her duties as head coach on Feb. 1 and will hit the ground running, getting to know the current group of Raven volleyball players and beginning the recruiting process.

"I'm going to need to get know what we have first," Coach Cooper said. "Then we'll see what we still need.

"Having spent time with MNU, I've seen what it's going to take to be at the top of the conference and a look forward to making that climb with Benedictine."

Benedictine went 7-23 this past fall and 2-7 in the HAAC. They qualified for the HAAC Postseason Tournament but were knocked out by MNU in the quarterfinal round.

What others are saying about Coach Cooper:

Kristin Steele, MNU head volleyball coach:
"Erin and I go back many years to when she was the head coach at Seminole State College. In her short time as a Pioneer, she helped me to establish MNU Volleyball as a top contender in the conference. She is an incredible coach and competitor and has the intensity and work ethic to take the Raven Volleyball program to one of the top teams in the conference."

Kurt Kohler, Fort Hays State University head volleyball coach:
"Erin is an outstanding volleyball coach. She has a thorough knowledge of the game and is able to pass that information on to her players effectively. More importantly though is the commitment and compassion that she shows toward her team. Coach Cooper cares that each player is successful in life, and knows that the relationships she builds with her players is more important than the volleyball tactics and techniques she has taught them. Erin will be a great fit for the Benedictine mission, and the Raven volleyball program is blessed to have her as the new coach."

James W. Utterback, Ph.D., Siminole State College President:
"I would like to congratulate Benedictine College on a fantastic coaching decision. Erin Pick-Cooper is one of the most outstanding coaches I have known. Her players always give 100 percent, both on the court as well as in the classroom. I am confident she will build an excellent program."