Jessica Cortese has been named McDaniel College's head volleyball
coach, announced by Director of Athletics Paul Moyer on
Tuesday.
"As we conducted this search, Jess surfaced as the type of coach we were looking for to lead our volleyball program," Moyer said. "She knows what it takes to be successful in the Centennial Conference and I'm confident that over time she'll return our program to its tradition of excellence, being highly competitive on the national level."
Cortese has spent the last two seasons as the head volleyball coach at Sewanee: The University of the South. She was instrumental in building a team that had just eight wins in the three seasons before her arrival in Tennessee. In 2011, she brought in eight freshmen – the biggest recruiting class in program history – and quadrupled her win total, recording the program's most victories in 10 years. Three of her players were named to all-tournament teams during the 2011 season, tripling the total from the previous year.
"First and foremost, I would like to thank Paul Moyer and the administration at McDaniel College for offering me this position," Cortese said. "I am thrilled to be entering into an athletics department and volleyball program with rich history and tradition. I was fortunate to meet some incredible staff members and athletes on my interview, and felt like the quality of people at McDaniel is second to none. It is an honor to coach in the Centennial Conference and I look forward to working with a great group of young women who are hungry to win championships."
A Lancaster, Pa., native, Cortese was a standout volleyball and soccer player at Hempfield High School before playing volleyball collegiately at Centennial Conference (CC)-rival Gettysburg.
The 2003 CC Player of the Year, she was part of four conference championship teams during her time as a Bullet. She was a first-team AVCA All-Mid-Atlantic selection in 2003, also garnering honorable mention All-America accolades, before being selected as an honorable mention all-region selection in 2004. During her four years leading the team, the Bullets racked up a 108-34 record, including a 37-3 mark in conference play.