The Dominican University department of athletics announced on Thursday that it has hired Jeanne Czipri to be the head coach for the Stars' women's volleyball program.  In the Stars, Czipri inherits a program coming off a 24-10 season and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the first time in program history.
 
"I am so unbelievably humbled and grateful for the opportunity," said Czipri when asked about the hiring.  "Dominican has already demonstrated their commitment to their student-athletes' academic and athletic success, and I am beyond excited to continue to develop well-rounded individuals that will impact their community after graduation."
 
A former scholarship volleyball athlete at Division I University of New Hampshire, Czipri possesses a decade of coaching experience at the club and high school levels, including currently serving as the head 18's-level coach at Team One Volleyball Club in Aurora, Illinois.  Czipri has contributed to the rapid growth of Team One, helping the club grow from three teams in 2010 to 13 teams by 2013 while designing practice plans and workouts for the clubs three 18's-level teams.  Additionally, as the head coach at Aurora Central Catholic High School, Czipri was named the Kane County Chronicle Coach of the Year in 2009 when she led the Chargers to a program-record 27 wins and the program's first Suburban Christian Conference (SCC) title.  Under Czipri the Chargers won back-to-back SCC championships and set the program's single-season win mark twice, posting 29 wins in 2010 which still stands as the program's single-season record.
 
"We are excited to introduce Jeanne Czipri as our head women's volleyball coach," said Erick Baumann, the director of athletics at Dominican University.  "After a thorough search, we believe Jeanne is ready to lead our team and have a successful career as a college coach.  She has been successful at both the high school and top-tier club levels and brings a desire to win to what has grown into one of our department's most successful programs over the last five years."
 
In addition to helping a number of high school and club athletes advance to play collegiately, Czipri's knowledge of the college athletics landscape led her to a stint with Lighthouse Financial College Planning where she served as an athletic scholarship counselor.  In her role, Czipri developed a program designed to help guide high school student-athletes through the college recruiting process to find the best fit both athletically and academically.
 
"I want to thank Erick Baumann and the entire Dominican University community for their support and confidence in me to lead an already competitive and accomplished volleyball program," said Czipri.  "We have a strong team of talented student-athletes and a winning tradition to build from.  I am anxious to work together to bring this program to the next level."
 
Czipri is expected to start at the university on July 1 and will assume the role of coordinator of athletics events in addition to her duties as head women's volleyball coach.