Athletics director Don Oberhelman announced that Sam Crosson will be the new head coach of the Cal Poly women’s volleyball team, concluding a difficult four-and-a-half months for the program.
Crosson has 12 years of experience as an assistant coach at multiple California universities — most recently University of California, Berkeley. He replaces former head coach Jon Stevenson, who was removed from the position in September after multiple former Cal Poly players raised allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.
Oberhelman said at a press conference on Friday that he was initially worried the position had become undesirable after what transpired in past years, but expressed confidence in the applicant pool and his ultimate selection.
“Cal Poly is a very, very special university, and it requires special leaders,” he said. “I think (Crosson) fits that perfectly”
Crosson’s hiring is the result of a thorough search led by Oberhelman and a four-person committee of well-voiced faculty and staff who understand volleyball, athletics and the core academic values of Cal Poly.
“Sam is a teacher and a mentor before he is a coach,” Oberhelman said. “He knows that our student-athletes must succeed in the classroom as well as on the court.”
Crosson, in his first media address as head coach, cited the newly-adopted tenant of “The Mustang Way” and said the privilege of being a Cal Poly Mustang must be earned daily.
“Moving forward, the biggest thing for us right now is the development of the culture we are going to have here,” he said at the press conference. “Fundamentally, we’re looking for quality people with character that want to compete both athletically and academically.”
Crosson served as top assistant coach at Saint Mary’s College for five seasons from 2005-09 before joining Cal as an assistant coach in 2010. That year he helped guide the Golden Bears to a school-best 30 wins and a runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament under Rich Feller, who won AVCA National Coach of the Year.
He also has Big West Conference experience as a men’s volleyball assistant coach at University of the Pacific, where he attained both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in sports science. As an undergraduate, Crosson was a four-year volleyball letterman at Pacific, where he earned co-MVP honors in 1997.
Crosson played professionally for Herentals Volleyball Club in Belgium, Germany, for one season before he returned to California to pursue coaching. He said his statewide collegiate experience familiarized him with the history of Cal Poly volleyball.
“I know there is a tremendous amount of support not only from campus, but within the community,” he said. “I’ve been in Mott Gym before, and I know what that environment is like.”
Crosson is currently evaluating his coaching staff for next season, which officially begins in June.
He and Oberhelman each commended interim head coach Caroline Walters and assistant coach Justin Hutchins for their service in times of uncertainty.
Without directly referencing last season’s ordeal, Crosson said he looks forward to moving forward with a mentality founded in trust.
“Trust is the main component of how we’re going to move forward,” he said. “It is the foundation from which great things come.”
He met with the team — all of which attended Friday’s press conference — earlier that morning, and had already begun to meet one-on-one with players to discuss the future of the program.
Junior outside hitter Molly Pon finished last season with 141 kills and 28 blocks. In the first meeting with her new coach, she said Crosson briefly discussed her role as a senior next season.
Pon said she can already feel a difference in the team’s leadership.
“Sam’s really prepared and he has a really good vision for us,” she said. “I’m looking forward to working with him and meeting the recruits and building this program.”
Crosson and his new team look to improve upon an unconventional 2011 season in which they went 12-17, finishing near the bottom of the Big West Conference standings.