This is the innagural season for the UNCW beach volleyball team. Considering this is the first season for the new team, their 3 and 4 start can be looked at as a success. The schedule runs from March until the end of April. Guiding the team this year will be coaches Amy Bambenek, David Fischer and assistant Brittany Fennell. Each bring a wealth of playing and coaching experience at all levels to the team.
Coach Bambenek also coaches the UNCW indoor team. She has resurrected the team from one of the league’s worst to a NCAA tournament bid and a CAA championship. Fans hope that she can bring the same success to the beach program.
Bambenek’s resume is quite extraordinary. She began her playing career at Coastal Carolina where she was a four year starter and led the team to a conference title and a NCAA tournament bid. She also ranks in the top five in several all-time stats for the team. She began her coaching career in 1998 at Florida State as an assistant. There she helped the team win an ACC title and another tournament bid. After three years at FSU Bambenek took an assistant job at George Washington university where she was primarily in charge of recruiting and practicing coordination. In here eight years at GW she coached several players to All-Conference level seasons. Coach Bambenek is also CAP level 1 certified through USA Volleyball. She also holds a Masters of Science in Sports Administration from FSU.
Coach Fischer comes to UNCW after three successful seasons as the University of Louisiana at Monroe head coach. At ULM he coached several pairs of players to All-American honors. Fischer started his playing career at Stanford University where he led the team all the way to the finals of the NCAA tournament. He has also played professional beach volleyball on the AVP tour. He finished fourth in the 2003 Pan Am games. His vast professional and collegiate experience should give the Seahawks an edge against the competition this year.
Brittany Fennell will assist the coaching staff this season with recruiting and administrative needs. Brittany was head coach for Village Christian Academy in Fayetteville, NC leading them to a winning record in 2013. Her playing career began at Clemson university where she earned the team’s rookie of the year honors. Fennell helped Clemson to two NCAA tournament appearances. She has also played for a USA volleyball development team in international competition.
The combined experience and expertise of the coaching staff looks to give UNCW beach volleyball a bright future. The team looks to be competitive right away and hopes to make the NCAA tournament within the first few years of competition.