YSU names Esposito as volleyball coach

SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR

YOUNGSTOWN — Chad Esposito, a five-time conference coach of the year who has revitalized three volleyball programs, was named head coach at Youngstown State on Tuesday.

Esposito has 257 career victories and six conference championships at four different schools in his head coaching career. In his latest rebuilding effort, Esposito turned a High Point program that had won 19 matches in four seasons into a Big South champion.

“I want to thank Ron Strollo and Elaine Jacobs for giving me the opportunity to lead this team,” Esposito said. “I am excited to join Youngstown State in its commitment to developing a championship volleyball program.

“I have been very impressed with the direction and vision that is in place for Youngstown State’s athletics programs, and I truly believe that this program can win a Horizon League championship. The team we put on the court will be thrilling to watch, and a team the community can embrace. It is going to be a fast-paced and enjoyable brand of volleyball. With all the momentum right now around the campus, especially in the athletics department, this is an exciting time to be a Penguin.”

Strollo, the YSU athletic director, echoed Esposito’s excitement for the future of the volleyball program.

“We are extremely excited about the future of our volleyball program with a proven winner like Coach Esposito at the helm,” Strollo said. “He has already shown a great deal of success as a head coach at the Division I level, and his demonstrated ability of rebuilding programs will be key to our team moving into the top tier of the Horizon League.”

Esposito spent six seasons at High Point. The Panthers were 19-110 in their first four years of Division I competition from 1999-2002. Esposito guided the program to a 101-101 record in his six seasons, including a mark of 50-16 in his final two years. In 2008, High Point went 26-7, shared the Big South regular season title and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time in school history. The Panthers were 24-9 in 2007, and they had 17 wins in Esposito’s second year.

Esposito spent the 2009 season as an assistant coach at Charlotte. He helped the 49ers return to the Atlantic 10 conference tournament for the first time since 2005.

Esposito has been successful throughout his coaching career. He has led his teams to 23-or-more wins in seven of his 13 years as a head coach.

Before High Point, Esposito spent two seasons at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia. He led the Cardinals to a 54-28 record and was twice named the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference coach of the year. He won two conference crowns and one conference tournament title.

Esposito went 77-59 in four seasons at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C., before going to Wheeling Jesuit. There, he led a 26-match turnaround in two seasons, going from one win in 1995 to 27 wins and a conference title in 1997. He was named the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference coach of the year in 1997 and 1998.

Esposito got his college coaching start at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, N.C., in 1994. His squad went 25-10 and won the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles.

Esposito has been a lead lecturer at the Charlotte Coaches Clinic and has worked camps at Charlotte, Davidson, West Virginia and Marshall. He has also received Level 1 Certification from the Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) and the International Olympic Committee.

Esposito earned a communications degree from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College in 1991 after receiving four letters in tennis. He earned a master’s degree in higher education administration from Appalachian State in 1999 and attended law school at West Virginia University before going to High Point.

Esposito and his wife, Dr. Judy Esposito, have two sons, Benjamin (9) and Patrick (6).