COACHING STAFF

BEN SABIN | ASSISTANT COACH - DIRECTOR OF CAMPS

Head Coach Keylor Chan and the Samford University volleyball program welcomes Ben Sabin as the newest assistant coach to join the staff for the upcoming 2016 season.

"We are excited to add Ben to the Samford Volleyball Family. During the search he emerged as a candidate with the skills, passion and work ethic we were looking for." Chan said. "Ben has been mentored by some of the very best coaches in collegiate volleyball. I'm confident he will be able to help our program improve in many areas and we are all looking forward to creating a wonderful future for Samford Volleyball together."

Sabin worked his way here to Samford after he spent the past year as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Dust Devils at Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas. He worked directly with training the setters while he also focused on working with the outside attackers and the team's serve receive.

While there he was also in charge of scouting upcoming opponents and making the team's travel arrangements. He also broke down film through the implementation of the Data Volley program.

Prior to his stint at Texas A&M International, Sabin spent two years as the Director of Volleyball Operations at Ball State University. His main duties included the scouting of opponents and organizing the team's travel.

Sabin began his coaching career in 2009 as the head coach for the boys' varsity team at Wapahani High School in Selma, Indiana. His career at Wapahani included over 110 wins, nine All-Star nominations, a pair of All-State nominations and five consecutive years of being in the top 10 of the IBVCA Coaches Poll.

His 2012 team earned a spot in the state finals, while the 2014 team earned a 3rd place ranking in the state.

Sabin earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technolgy and Business from Ball State in 2012 and completed his Masters of Arts in Sports Administration in 2015

The Bulldogs will begin their 2016 campaign on Friday, August 26, at noon (CDT) inside the Pete Hanna Center when the team takes on Nicholls State.

BETSY SMITH | ASSISTANT COACH - RECRUITING COORDINATOR

Betsy Smith, a former standout at the University of Florida, All-Southeastern Conference performer and three-year collegiate assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, officially joined Samford’s coaching staff on April 21, 2017.

Samford head volleyball coach Keylor Chan named Betsy Smith as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs. Smith most recently spent the previous three seasons at Georgia State University.

“We are truly blessed to have Betsy Join the Bulldog volleyball family,” said Chan. “From the beginning of our search, it was clear that Betsy possessed the exact skill-set we were looking for in our open assistant position. Betsy has developed a passion for coaching and the sport of volleyball. She has a great acumen in building quality relationships. Her experience as a coach, student-athlete, and most important person will be an asset to our program.

“The foundation of Samford volleyball is our people. Our people must have a desire to learn, create, be process-oriented, dedicated, tough and humble. Betsy embodies all these principles and we are excited to begin our next chapter with Betsy on staff.”

During her time at Georgia State, Smith served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Head Coach Sally Polhamus where she assisted in the commitment of 22 student-athletes. She also managed evaluation days and the recruiting calendar, while operating as the primary liaison to compliance.

Additionally, Smith proved to be Georgia State’s defensive coordinator where she created defensive strategies and game plans in scouting. She also planned practices and trained the middle blockers and attackers, while contributing to the team’s overall defensive scheme.

"I'm thrilled to join Keylor and Ben (Assistant Coach Sabin) as a part of the Samford family,” said Smith. “Samford volleyball is building something incredibly special and I look forward to contributing to our team's progress and growth both on and off the court. It's an exciting time to be a Bulldog and I'm honored to have this opportunity."

Smith also boasts experience as an assistant coach for USA Volleyball. Since 2015, she has been aiding the program where she has served as court coach and evaluator for the USAV High Performance Program tryouts. Additionally, she worked as an apprentice coach for the 2016 Girls’ Future Select National Training Program and was an assistant coach for the 2016 Girls’ Youth National Team Prospect Training Block.

Following her illustrious four-year career at Florida, Smith immediately found her calling in the coaching ranks and earned an assistant coaching job at the Orlando Volleyball Academy. She spent three months there with the club where she coached the top 16s team along with Head Coach Joe Jablonski.

Smith served as team captain her senior year at Florida and led the Gators to a Southeastern Conference championship, as well as a national top-10 finish. She garnered Second Team All-SEC honors along the way.

Smith, who redshirted as a true freshman in 2008, played a key role on her Florida squad that advanced to four Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight, while garnering a trio of SEC titles. She also excelled in the classroom and was named to four straight SEC Fall Academic Honor Rolls (2009-12).

At Samford, Smith joins a program that won the Southern Conference Tournament last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs accomplished the feat in Chan’s first year at the helm.

SMITH’S COLLEGE CAREER - FLORIDA

Team Captain (2012)
Second Team All-SEC (2012)
One Elite Eight finish (2011)
Four Sweet 16 finishes (2008, ’09, ’10, ’12)
Three SEC Championships (2008, ‘10, ‘12)
Four-time SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll (2009-12)
SEC Freshman Honor Roll (2008)
Recipient of the prestigious H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship.
Chairman of FLAs (2011)
SAAC President (2011-12)
SAAC Representative (2008-12)
UAA Board of Directors (2011-12)

SMITH’S PREP CAREER - WESLEYAN (ATLANTA, GA.)

26th ranked recruit in 2008 class
2007 Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year
2006 and 2007 Georgia A/AA Player of the Year
Four-time state champion
Three-time all-state
Junior National A2 Team Member 2006 and 2007
Captain of the Junior National A2 team that won the European Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia
"Circle of Honor" (Hall of Fame) inductee