Coach Krueger welcomes the talented Stacey Smith back this fall for her second year with the Hawks women’s volleyball program this 2016 season. After a quick a few weeks with the team last fall, Smith left WNY to attend and play volleyball at Nottingham University (Nottingham, UK). While overseas, she earned her Masters in Business Management.
Smith, an Eden, N.Y. native, returns home for her first coaching position since she left the WNY area to attend the University of Georgia and represent the Bulldogs on the volleyball court. After redshirting her freshman year, the Right Side hitter helped guide the team the following three years to a 47-44 overall record. Smith garnered SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll honors and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll by her senior year.
With one season of athletic eligibility remaining, Smith enrolled at Syracuse University and earned her master’s degree while playing for the Orange. In 28 matches last year, Smith recorded 146 points (1.62 pps) and 117 kills (1.30 kps) as Syracuse finished with a 9-21 overall record.
Smith attended Eden High School and won three New York State championships with the volleyball program. She was named the MVP of the NYS Championship tournament, was an All-American her senior season, a 1st Team All-New York, was a finalist for the New York State Player of the Year both her junior and senior seasons and was tabbed ESPN RISE Fab50 selection her senior season.
Smith earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Georgia in 2014 and a master’s of Science in New Media Management degree from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse.
