Courtesy: Princeton Athletic Communications“I am extremely honored to have been chosen as the assistant women's coach and head men's coach for Princeton volleyball,” Shweisky said. “I am humbled to have been given the task of carrying on the tradition of excellence for both programs. To coach volleyball in both the Ivy League and the EIVA has always been an aspiration of mine and to work with both men and women is an extraordinary opportunity few coaches in the country get to enjoy. I am grateful to Jolie Ward and the Princeton athletic department for extending me this unique opportunity.
“Coach Ward has a great vision for the Princeton women's program and I am excited to assist her in pursuing those goals. Having competed as a student-athlete in the EIVA, I am looking forward to returning to the fraternity of men's volleyball on the east coast. My goal with the men's program will be to further the legacy that coach Glenn Nelson created while reaching for new heights.”
Shweisky will be only the second head men’s volleyball coach in Princeton history. He replaces the legendary Glenn Nelson, who coached the Tigers as both a club team and, starting in 1997, a varsity program. Nelson took Princeton to the NCAA semifinals in 1998 and won the EIVA championship; in 22 years, it remains the only Eastern crown not won by Penn State.
“I believe Sam comes to Princeton with a complete sense of what this program needs and is wholeheartedly committed to meeting the challenges and expectations of the position,” said Ward, who replaces Nelson as the new women’s coach for the 2009 season. “His background as a player in an academically challenging environment, his varied coaching experiences, and his overall exuberance will assist in the successful transition and future successes of the women's and men's volleyball programs here at Princeton.”
Shweisky comes from Central Florida, where he spent one season as the women’s volleyball assistant. This past Knight squad won 15 games and had its best season since 2003.
Prior to his season at UCF, Shweisky was an assistant with UNLV. During his time, the Rebels enjoyed their most successful season in program history in 2007. The team had a program-best 24-6 overall record along with its first Mountain West Conference championship. With the MWC title came the school's first trip the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament as well as the program's first national ranking in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Including the Rebels 20-10 record in 2006, Shweisky was a part of UNLV's only back-to-back 20-win campaigns.
Shweisky also worked as an assistant coach for the USA Red Youth National Team that won the silver medal at the 2008 USA Volleyball High Performance National Championships in Tucson, Ariz.
Shweisky also served as an assistant coach for the USA Open women's team that won the silver medal at the Pan-American Maccabiah games in Argentina this past December. After the 2006 collegiate season, he was invited to coach the USA High Performance Select A2 Team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
A member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association since 2003, Shweisky has received Level I and Level II accreditation through the USA Volleyball Coaching Accreditation Program.
Prior to UNLV, Shweisky was a graduate assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) University for long-time head coach Carolyn Condit. The RedHawks owned a 27-31 record in his two seasons in Oxford. In 2005, the RedHawks posted an 18-13 overall mark and finished Mid-American Conference play with a 9-7 record.
While in Oxford, he was the head coach from 2004-06 for the Borderline VBC 18-under open girls' club team. Shweisky was also the USA's 18-under girls' team head coach at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, in which his squad won the silver medal. From 2003-04, he held the head coaching position for the NYC Juniors 17-under girls' club team and at Friends Seminary High School for the varsity and junior varsity girls' teams.
Shweisky has served as an assistant for the Hudson Valley boys' scholastic team in the Empire State Games (N.Y.) during the summers of 1997-05. From 2001-02, he was an assistant coach at the University of New Haven.
Prior to and during his coaching, Shweisky played for Miami's men's club team (2004-06) and for Vassar College (1998-01). He has played internationally, as well, with The Hajraa Volleyball Club in Holland (2002-03) and for USA in the Maccabiah Games in 2001, 2005 and 2008.
Shweisky was a four-year letterwinner at Vassar College, where he helped his team to the Division III National Championship as a senior. He finished his collegiate career ranked fourth in single-season digs at Vassar, fifth in single-season digs per game and seventh in all-time digs.
A native of New York City, Shweisky earned his bachelor's degree in Hispanic studies and psychology from Vassar in 2001. At Miami, he gained a master's of science degree in sports psychology in 2006.
Shweisky takes over a Princeton men’s program that won 10 games in 2009 and reached the EIVA quarterfinal before falling in a 3-2 thriller at Saint Francis. The Tigers lose four starters from that team, including All-East middle Mike Vincent and captain Brandon Denham.
Shweisky won’t be eased into his career as a head coach; the 2010 men’s volleyball season will begin Jan. 26 at reigning NCAA champion California-Irvine.
