WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

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BUFFALO, NY - Head volleyball coach Sally Kus has announced the hiring of Katie Michalski, a standout player and assistant coach at Duquesne University, as an assistant coach with the University at Buffalo program.

"Katie has a great knack for motivating players and will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from her tenure at Duquesne," said Kus. "She helped Duquesne become one of the best teams in the Atlantic 10, and we're looking forward to working with her in developing our young team into a successful program in the Mid-American Conference."

Michalski's volleyball success dates back to 1991 when she played for Kus at Sweet Home High School when the Panthers were the top-ranked team in the country. From there, she went on to star at Duquesne as a four-year starter and three-year team captain. Michalski, an outside hitter, surpassed the 1,000 plateau in both career kills (1,108) and career digs (1,421), and she earned All-Atlantic 10 Conference honorable mention honors in 1994. She is listed among the Dukes' career leaders in kills, digs, solo blocks and service aces, and her 87 aces during the 1993 season set a school single-season record, led the Atlantic 10 and ranked fourth in the nation. That same year, she led Duquesne to one of its most successful seasons with a 19-12 mark en route to earning All-Tournament honors at the league championship.

Following graduation, Michalski stayed on at Duquesne, serving as a graduate assistant for two years and as an assistant coach for four years, helping to elevate the overall talent and competitiveness of the Dukes' program. She has also been active in club volleyball in the Pittsburgh, PA area, serving as an assistant coach and a head coach of the Pittsburgh Elite club team and as the Club Director for the Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball Association for three years. She began her coaching career in 1995 at the Sweet Home High School volleyball camp where she was an instructor for three years.

Michalski is a 1997 graduate of Duquesne with a degree in elementary education. She also completed her master's degree in education at Duquesne in 1999, and she was inducted into the Duquesne University Sports Hall of Fame in January of 2003.

Michalski replaces Joe Fisher, an assistant with the UB volleyball program for the past two years who has gone to the University of Illinois at Springfield, an NAIA institution, to serve as head coach of the women's volleyball program and of the new softball program that will begin competition in the spring of 2004.

"The University of Illinois at Springfield offered Joe a great opportunity, both for his career and even more so for his family, so they can get back to their roots," said Kus. "He will be sorely missed as a coach, a colleague and a friend. He brought dedication, loyalty and sincerity to our program, and we thank him for that and wish him and his family all the best."