Moira Long enters her second season as the head women’s volleyball coach an assistant professor of physical education at Springfield College in the fall of 2012. Long wasted little time putting per stamp on the program as he led the Pride to the NCAA Championship Elite Eight in 2011.Long's first season will be regarded as one of the finest in program history. The NEWMAC Coach of the Year led the Pride to 21-straight wins to start the season before Springfield eventually won both the NEWMAC Championship and the NCAA Regional Championship in Blake Arena. The Pride finished the season ranked 13th in the nation with a 34-3 record, and was a perfect 17-0 at home.
Long returned to Springfield College, where she earned a Master’s degree in sport management in 1997. During her two-year stint at Springfield College, Long served as the graduate assistant of the women’s volleyball program, and acted as the interim head coach in the spring of 1997.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Moira’s caliber as our women’s head volleyball coach,” said Dr. Schweitzer. “Moira will bring a great deal of experience, passion and leadership to the program. She has a proven track record of success, both on and off the court, and is the perfect person to continue building this program. We welcome her back to the Pride family.”
“I am really excited about returning to Springfield College, a place where I built both my teaching and coaching philosophy,” said Long. “I was so impressed with the student-athletes who I met on campus and the administration has been so welcoming. I am looking forward to taking over one of the premier programs in New England, one with such a terrific tradition, while also putting my own stamp on it.”
For the previous 13 seasons, Long had guided Plymouth State’s women’s volleyball program towards becoming one of the top programs in New England. She led the Panthers to nine post-season berths, including a trip to the NCAA Championships in 2004 when they won their first ever Little East Conference title. During her time at Plymouth State, Long owned an overall record of 301-156, good for a .658 winning percentage. Her teams totaled at least 20 wins in 10 of her seasons, including a record-setting year in 2009 when the Panthers went 32-6.
Long held several other roles in addition to coaching the Panthers during her tenure at Plymouth State. She served as a health and human performance instructor, teaching several physical education concepts and skills courses. From 1998-2008, Long was the Senior Women’s Administrator, Compliance Coordinator, and Academic Advisor for the Plymouth State Department of Athletics. In that capacity, she was responsible for compliance, budgeting, personnel, academic advising, and scheduling.
Long has previously served as President of the New England Women’s Volleyball Coaches Association (2005-07), as well as acted as the chair of the NCAA Division III Regional Volleyball Committee (2004-08) and vice-chair of the NCAA National Volleyball Committee (2005-07). She then moved up to chair the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball National Committee (2007-08).
A four-year starter in volleyball at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Long earned her bachelor’s degree in political science there in 1994. After her two-year stint at Springfield College, she spent one year at Dickinson College as head coach of volleyball and softball (1997-98) before heading to Plymouth State.
Moira Long will enter her second season as head women's volleyball coach in the fall of 2012. Long wasted little time putting her stamp on the program, taking the Pride to the NCAA Championship Elite Eight in 2011.
Read more.