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Staff Directory
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Glenn Nelson
- Title:
- Head Coach
Glenn Nelson, the winningest coach in Princeton athletics history, completed the most historic of his highly-successful 26 seasons as the head coach of the Tiger women’s volleyball team in 2007.
Nelson, who has guided Princeton to 11 Ivy League championships during his tenure, led the 2007 squad to a 22-3 record, including a 14-0 mark in Ivy League play. No team had ever gone unbeaten in Ivy play since the league adopted the double-round-robin format in 2001. Princeton won its final 20 matches of the season to earn its first NCAA bid since 2000.
Princeton defeated Brown 3-0 to clinch the Ivy League title on Nov. 9, and Nelson achieved a personal milestone that night as well. It was his 560th victory with the women’s program, which moved him past longtime softball coach Cindy Cohen and into first place all-time for any coach at Princeton.
Nelson’s team earned five All-Ivy honors in 2007, including first-team selections for outside hitter Parker Henritze, middle Lindsey Ensign and setter Bailey Robinson. Henritze was the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year, Ensign led the Ivy League in hitting percentage by .089 over any other player and Robinson is currently the NCAA assists leader with 14.47 per game.
Nelson, who has also coached the Princeton men’s program since 1979, has won 1,082 matches between the two programs. He entered the year ranked 25th in the NCAA in all-time women’s volleyball wins and 26th in all-time women’s volleyball winning percentage.
During his career, Princeton has averaged 21.6 victories per year and has recorded a winning record in Ivy League play in 20 of the last 21 seasons. When the Ivy League championship was decided with a one-match tournament final, Nelson led Princeton to the final in 13 of 19 seasons.
He has coached four Ivy League Players of the Year (Kristi Hakman, 1990; Kristin Spataro, 1995; Sabrina King, 1999 and Henritze, 2007) and five Ivy League Rookies of the Year (Melanie Hunter, 1991; Ayesha Attoh, 1994; Michelle Buffum, 1999; Kellie Cramm, 2000 and Henritze, 2005).
Glenn Nelson is the only coach in the history of collegiate volleyball to take both a men's and women's team to the Final Four in the same year. He accomplished this feat during the 1997-98 year, when the Princeton women played Maryland in the first round of the tournament and the men traveled to Hawaii in the Final Four.
A 1972 graduate of Orange Coast College, Nelson has guided the Tigers to a total of 28 Ivy championships (17 men, 11 women).
Prior to arriving at Princeton, Nelson was actively involved in training young volleyball players in the Special Olympics program. From there, he started coaching the junior varsity teams at Trenton State College (now known as The College of New Jersey). After taking over the reigns as the Princeton's men's coach in 1979, Nelson assumed responsibilities for both the men and women in 1982.
Nelson resides in Presidential Lakes, N.J. with his wife Mary. They have four sons (Byron, Glenn Jr., Andrew and John).
Nelson, who has guided Princeton to 11 Ivy League championships during his tenure, led the 2007 squad to a 22-3 record, including a 14-0 mark in Ivy League play. No team had ever gone unbeaten in Ivy play since the league adopted the double-round-robin format in 2001. Princeton won its final 20 matches of the season to earn its first NCAA bid since 2000.
Princeton defeated Brown 3-0 to clinch the Ivy League title on Nov. 9, and Nelson achieved a personal milestone that night as well. It was his 560th victory with the women’s program, which moved him past longtime softball coach Cindy Cohen and into first place all-time for any coach at Princeton.
Nelson’s team earned five All-Ivy honors in 2007, including first-team selections for outside hitter Parker Henritze, middle Lindsey Ensign and setter Bailey Robinson. Henritze was the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year, Ensign led the Ivy League in hitting percentage by .089 over any other player and Robinson is currently the NCAA assists leader with 14.47 per game.
Nelson, who has also coached the Princeton men’s program since 1979, has won 1,082 matches between the two programs. He entered the year ranked 25th in the NCAA in all-time women’s volleyball wins and 26th in all-time women’s volleyball winning percentage.
During his career, Princeton has averaged 21.6 victories per year and has recorded a winning record in Ivy League play in 20 of the last 21 seasons. When the Ivy League championship was decided with a one-match tournament final, Nelson led Princeton to the final in 13 of 19 seasons.
He has coached four Ivy League Players of the Year (Kristi Hakman, 1990; Kristin Spataro, 1995; Sabrina King, 1999 and Henritze, 2007) and five Ivy League Rookies of the Year (Melanie Hunter, 1991; Ayesha Attoh, 1994; Michelle Buffum, 1999; Kellie Cramm, 2000 and Henritze, 2005).
Glenn Nelson is the only coach in the history of collegiate volleyball to take both a men's and women's team to the Final Four in the same year. He accomplished this feat during the 1997-98 year, when the Princeton women played Maryland in the first round of the tournament and the men traveled to Hawaii in the Final Four.
A 1972 graduate of Orange Coast College, Nelson has guided the Tigers to a total of 28 Ivy championships (17 men, 11 women).
Prior to arriving at Princeton, Nelson was actively involved in training young volleyball players in the Special Olympics program. From there, he started coaching the junior varsity teams at Trenton State College (now known as The College of New Jersey). After taking over the reigns as the Princeton's men's coach in 1979, Nelson assumed responsibilities for both the men and women in 1982.
Nelson resides in Presidential Lakes, N.J. with his wife Mary. They have four sons (Byron, Glenn Jr., Andrew and John).
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