BIRMINGHAM – UAB Volleyball Head Coach Betsy Freeburg has announced the hiring of Ryan Freeburg as associate head coach.”Ryan comes to UAB with a wealth of volleyball knowledge and experience. He will be instrumental in the skill development and training of our players,” said Betsy Freeburg. “One of Ryan’s best attributes is that he will always challenge our student-athletes to hold themselves to a high standard and stretch their comfort zone, and this mentality will help lead them to success both on and off the court.”
Freeburg comes to UAB after spending the 2019 season at Samford where he helped lead the Bulldogs to the Southern Conference regular season and tournament championships and an NCAA Tournament berth. Freeburg coached the 2019 SoCon Player of the Year and AVCA All-Region honorable mention selection Kelsi Hobbs.
Prior to Samford, Freeburg was on the staff at Alabama from 2014 through 2018. He worked primarily with passing, blocking and defense. Freeburg was named interim head coach for the final five matches of the 2018 season.
Before his time in Tuscaloosa, Freeburg was an assistant coach at Dayton during the 2013 season, helping train the Flyers’ setters and middle blockers. Serving as the team’s defensive coordinator, his Dayton squad averaged 3.00 blocks-per-set, which ranked third nationally.
Freeburg spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons as an assistant coach at George Washington, where he trained the team’s serve receive, blocking and outside hitters.
A 2010 graduate of Purdue University, Freeburg spent three years as a student manager for the Boilermakers and one season as a volunteer assistant coach. During the 2010 season, he helped Purdue to an Elite Eight finish in the NCAA Tournament with wins throughout the season against No. 1 Florida, No. 4 Penn State and No. 10 Illinois.
He also founded the Lafayette Volleyball Academy in Lafayette, Ind., and worked with the Munciana Volleyball Club in Muncie, Ind.
“I am extremely honored to be the next Associate Head Volleyball Coach at UAB and continue my coaching journey in a city I’ve grown to love,” said Ryan Freeburg. “This is a program with a history of success at a top notch school. I would especially like to thank Mark Ingram, Katreshia Louis-Verrett and Betsy Freeburg for the opportunity. The sky is the limit at UAB and I can’t wait to play a part in the next successful chapter for UAB Volleyball! Go Blazers!”
Volleyball season tickets are on sale by purchasing the 2020-21 Gold Card for $65 here. The Gold Card is an exclusive offer that grants you admission into all UAB men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, baseball and softball events for the upcoming academic year. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
For more information on the UAB volleyball team, follow @UAB_VB on Twitter and Instagram.
