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Vandeermeer Tabbed As Eastern Connecticut Volleyball Coach
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Veteran volleyball coach Fran Vandermeer will fill the vacancy as head women’s coach at Eastern Connecticut State University. She has been named as the sixth permanent coach in the program’s 35-year history and will serve in a parttime capacity.
Vandermeer succeeds Peter Viteritti, who compiled a two-year record of 32-30 in a parttime capacity over the past two years.
The head volleyball coaching position is the third in the 13-year head coaching career of Vandermeer, who has won 318 and lost 128 (.713) at Williams College and Trinity (CT) College. She compiled an overall record of 254-73 in nine seasons (2000-08) at Williams after winning 64 and losing 55 in four seasons (1996-1999) at Trinity.
At Williams, Vandermeer led the Ephs to six New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) titles, six NCAA tournament berths and one ECAC tournament appearance. The team advanced to the NCAA Elite 8 four times – including her last season in 2008 – and to the Sweet 16 once. She averaged 28.2 wins per year and had a 77.7 winning percentage and posted three (straight) 30-win seasons.
At Trinity, she directed the Bantams to three winning seasons
and one ECAC tournament berth
Vandermeer also served as head softball coach for three seasons
and Williams and all four years at Trinity. At Williams, Vandermeer
coached 17 AVCA Division III All-America selections. She was
inducted into the Connecticut Scholastic and Collegiate
Women’s Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1998.
A member of the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials, Vandermeer has officiated nuermous NCAA Division II national championship matches and Division I regional title matches and has regularly officiated in the Big Ten, Big East and Ivy League.
Eastern lost only one senior from a year ago, when it won 12 of 30 matches and placed sixth in the Little East Conference. The Warriors have won seven LEC tournament and four LEC regular-season titles in 15 years. Eastern won three straight LEC tournament crowns bet5ween 2005 and 2007, which qualified it for NCAA tournament play.
