Belmont Abbey promotes Sullivan to be new head coach

Photo courtesy of Belmont Abbey athletics

One of the top setters in Belmont Abbey program history will oversee the team’s efforts to repeat as ConfCarolinas champions.

Belmont Abbey announced Friday that Derek Sullivan has been promoted to be the Crusaders’ permanent head coach.

Sullivan spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach and last season helped guide Belmont Abbey to its first conference championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. He also was promoted to be the interim head coach earlier in the summer following the departure of head coach Nolan Albrecht.

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“Coach Sullivan is well-suited to form and develop our students holistically and is uniquely positioned to maintain continuity, building upon the program’s strong foundation and last year’s unprecedented success,” athletics director Stephen Miss said in a statement.

Sullivan was a member of the inaugural Belmont Abbey men’s volleyball team in 2013 and concluded his college career in 2016 setting the single-season program record with 1,003 assists. The setter after graduating from Belmont Abbey traveled to England to earn a master’s degree and played one season of professional volleyball.

Before returning to Belmont Abbey, Sullivan spent a season as a volunteer assistant coach with the William & Mary women’s volleyball team and was a coach with multiple club teams.

“I am very grateful,” Sullivan said in a statement. “I also want to thank God and my family for supporting me through this process. I believe God is at work on this campus, and I can’t wait to continue what this program has started.”

Belmont Abbey returns multiple starters from its ConfCarolinas Championship team, including pin-hitters Matteo Miselli and Andrew Kohut. Both Miselli and Kohut ended last season in the nation’s top 25 averaging more than 3.70 kills per game.