POSITION: Head Volleyball Coach
ALMA MATER: Penn State, 2008
YEARS AT EIU: 5 years ... 70-85 (.452) all-time record
Following the 2014 fall season, Price left Eastern to pursue other professional opportunities, ending her five-year head coaching Panther tenure (2010-15) with a 70-85 (.452) overall mark.
After a season as an assistant coach, KATE PRICE was promoted to head coach in March of 2010 and completed her fifth season as skipper of the Panther volleyball program in the fall of 2014.
2014 (EIU Head Coach) ...
The 2014 Panthers finished 15-16 overall and tied for sixth in the league at 8-8. EIU advanced to the OVC tourney semifinals with a thrilling five-set win over Eastern Kentucky, avenging a loss to the Colonels to end the previous 2013 season.
For the second straight season, three Panthers picked up All-OVC kudos, led by junior setter Marah Bradbury, with classmate Abby Saalfrank also earning a post-season award in addition to All-Tourney recognition. Newcomer Allie Hueston added her name to the OVC All-Newcomer unit as well.
EIU would finish the year ranked in the OVC Top 5 in nearly every statistical category, as well as having several individuals also among the best in the league.
2013 (EIU Head Coach) ...
The 2013 Panthers finished with a fine 18-12 overall mark and 12-4 OVC tally, as Price helped lead Eastern to the league's West Division Championship, and earning OVC 'Coach of the Year' honors in the process.
Three Panthers also picked up All-OVC kudos as well, as senior Reynae Hutchinson once again earned league honors, joining classmate Stephanie Arnold and sophomore Marah Bradbury to the prestigious club.
EIU won nine consecutive matches toward the end of the season to finish tied for second overall in the OVC standings. Yet as the No. 3 seed at the end-of-season league tourney, the Panthers would unfortunately fall in a heartbreaking five-set upset to EKU.
Team-wise the 2013 squad wound up leading the league in hitting, total kills and assists.
Off the court, senior middle Stephanie Arnold would earn First Team Academic All-American honors, marking the first time a Panther volleyball player has been selected with such an award since 2004.
2012 (EIU Head Coach) ...
In 2012, the Panthers finished 11-21 overall and tied for sixth place in the Ohio Valley Conference behind an even 8-8 mark. Thanks to a late-season run, EIU secured a spot in the eight-team league-tournament, marking the first time since 2005 that the Panthers have competed in the year-end event. Eastern would drop a hard-fought four-set affair to eventual champion, and NCAA Regional participant, Belmont.
Other key wins for EIU during the season included a stunning upset of Wake Forest in early-season tournament action and a five-set come-from-behind thriller at SEMO. The Panthers played one of the toughest non-conference schedules on record, which included facing a pair of eventual NCAA Final Four teams -- #4-Penn State and #23-Michigan, as the road match at PSU was a nice a homecoming for Price and her assistant, Ryan Sweitzer.
A trio of Panthers earned post-season accolades, led by Reynae Hutchinson earning All-OVC kudos, while newcomers Abby Saalfrank and Marah Bradbury were both named to the All-Newcomer unit, with Saalfrank also securing the prestigious 'Freshman of the Year' award.
2011 (EIU Head Coach) ...
In 2011, the Panthers finished 11-20 overall and 8-12 in Ohio Valley Conference action to tie for eighth place. Biggest win of the season came via the road as Eastern completely dominated regular-season champion Morehead State in a three-set sweep.
The Panthers forced the Eagles to a season-low .070 attack behind an EIU season-high 16 block performance. That win marked the lone MSU loss of the season in conference play and snapped a 16-match home Eagle win streak in the process.
Katie Kirby and Emily Franklin each earned early-season all-tournament honors with Kirby placing on the Indiana State squad, while Franklin was named to both the Louisville and Indiana units.
2010 (EIU Head Coach) ...
Highlights from her first head coaching season of 2010 include placing two players on the All-Ohio Valley Conference squad. Kelsey Orr earned league honors, while Reynae Hutchinson was named to the All-Newcomer Team. In addition, setter Chrissie Albers led the entire OVC in assists.
The early-season 7-5 record also marked best start in three years as the Panthers captured runner-up honors at the Harvard Tournament and finished third in the Michigan State Invitational. All-in-all, three players were awarded All-Tournament Team recognition over the course of the season.
Finishing at 15-16 overall, key wins on the year included defeating instate rivals Illinois Chicago (in straight sets) and Western Illinois (in five-set thriller) on the road. Plus the Panthers swept perrenial OVC power Southeast Missouri in both meetings for the first time since 2004.
A former senior player on the 2007 NCAA National Championship squad at Penn State, Price became one of the youngest volleyball coaches to currently run an NCAA Division I squad when hired in 2010.
2009 (EIU Assistant) ...
Under her assistantship position in the fall of 2009, Eastern more than doubled the previous season’s win total. Price did a little bit of everything in assisting the EIU program that season. Her duties included running the Panther summer volleyball camp, assisting the recruitment of new players, scheduling the day-to-day practice regimen, running the film exchange and film breakdown computer system, while also working primarily with the EIU passers, outside hitters, and defensive units.
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Prior to arriving in Charleston in 2009, the Michigan native worked as an assistant at Centenary College for coach Dan Gwitt during the 2008 season.
In her four seasons at Penn State, Price competed in a variety of positions, which included playing on the right side attack, as defensive specialist and some libero work. Some of her career awards earned were AVCA Honorable Mention All-Mideast Region, Big Ten ‘Freshman of the Year’, Stanford Invitational ‘Most Valuable Player’, Penn State Invitational All-Tournament Team, and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.
Not only did Penn State win the 2007 National Championship, the first of three consecutive titles, but the Nittany Lions also captured the Big Ten championship all four years that she was a member of the squad. Price completed her PSU career by playing in 426 of 456 total games, while tallying 755 kills, 80 service aces and 866 all-time digs. As a freshman, her 424 kill numbers led all Lions that season.
Price describes her coaching style as “being very emotionally involved, while always giving immediate feedback to the players.” Plus she loves being able to teach by example as she enjoys the opportunity to play against the squad on a day-to-day basis.
“I have been blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love and hold a very high IQ of the game,” Price said. “Of course Coach (Penn State’s Russ Rose) is one of my mentors. He was, and still is, a very big part of my career, and life.”
Price continued, saying “Coach Rose has rubbed off on me in more ways than I had previously thought, as I often find myself repeatedly saying things that Coach had previously said to me, or my teammates, while at PSU. I have a lot of people that I would call a mentor, with many of them from the Penn State family. Which explains why my experience at PSU was a great one, and is definitely the type of experience that I’d like to give to the girls here at Eastern.”
She also credits her sisters for having a big influence on her career, “because they are two of my biggest mentors, both in life and in coaching, as they coached me throughout my entire club experience and have been a huge part of the successes in my life. I truly value their knowledge of the game.”
Her volleyball credentials began as a four-year prep standout at Fraser High School in Fraser, Mich., where Price helped lead the Ramblers to consecutive Michigan state titles in 2002 and 2003. Besides being voted team captain, she was also awarded first team all-state honors while being named to Volleyball Magazine’s ‘Fab 50’ squad. Besides the sport of volleyball, she also earned varsity letters in track and basketball, winning all-state championship honors as a high jumper.