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Lauren Netherby-Sewell was named the fourth head coach of the Fresno State Volleyball team on February 13, 2008.
She began her head coaching career at Hofstra University in New York. Netherby-Sewell was named head coach on November 13, 2006 after serving as interim head coach since August 2006 following the retirement of longtime coach and AVCA Hall of Famer Fran Kalafer. In two seasons, Netherby-Sewell compiled a career coaching record of 43-19 overall and a conference record of 26-6.
In her first season at the helm of the program, Netherby-Sewell took a team that lost two starters led the team to great heights. The Pride posted a 24-7 record, a 17-1 conference record and won the Colonial Athletic Association championship for Hofstra's first league title since 2000 (America East). Netherby-Sewell then coached the team to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, a five-game win over Cornell.
Hofstra climbed from 75 in the NCAA RPI rankings at the start of 2006 and finished a program-best 35th. The team was also ranked second in the East Region.
Under Netherby-Sewell's tutelage, senior middle blocker Liz Curley became Hofstra's first volleyball All-American, while also earning CAA Player of the Year accolades. In addition, setter Shellane Ogoshi repeated as CAA Setter of the Year. Both players also earned first team All-CAA accolades, while Beverly Rivera was a second team all-conference selection.
Netherby-Sewell was recognized for her team's accomplishments by receiving Honorable Mention National Coach of the Year honors from College Volleyball Update.
Netherby-Sewell would bring Hofstra back to the CAA title match in 2007 as the Pride compiled a 19-12 mark during the season, including a 9-5 record in conference action. It marked Hofstra's first back-to-back title match appearances since the 1999 and 2000 squads won the America East. The Pride had three players honored by the CAA as Ogoshi was a All-CAA first team selection, while junior outside hitter Lauren Engle garnered second team accolades and senior middle blocker Amanda Beyersdorff was a third team honoree. Ogoshi and Engle were also named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District I first team, while Ogoshi closed her career number one on the career assists and digs chart.
Netherby-Sewell, who is in her fifth year of collegiate coaching, joined the Pride staff after serving as an assistant volleyball coach at Columbia University for two seasons, where she was also pursuing her master's degree in physical education. In her only season as an assistant coach, Netherby-Sewell helped lead the Pride to a 19-8 record and a regular season Colonial Athletic Association championship and assisted in training the 2005 Colonial Athletic Association Setter and Player of the Year (Shellane Ogoshi) and three all-conference selections (Ogoshi, Tessa Sphar and Talita Silva).
In her two seasons at Columbia, Netherby-Sewell assisted with the training of student-athletes, planned practices, handled team travel arrangements and served as the recruiting coordinator. Her first recruiting class in 2004 helped the Lions add three victories to their win total from 2003, and her 2005 recruiting class, which included All-Ivy freshman Amalia Viti, helped Columbia double their 2004 victory total.
In addition to her experience at Columbia, Netherby-Sewell was head coach of the Club Asics Long Island 17-1's team in the spring 2005 and led the squad to three first place finishes. In 2000 she assisted in the training for the Sierra Nevada Volleyball Club's 18-1's squad.
Netherby-Sewell has also served as a head and assistant coach at camps at the 2005 national champion University of Washington, the University of Nevada, the University of Portland, Western Washington University and Hofstra University. In addition, she has been a trainer at the All-American Volleyball Camps, Stellar Sports and Long Island Volleyball Development Camps and Clinics. She now operates Netherby Volleyball Camps, Inc. and conducts clinics and camps at Hofstra.
Following graduation Netherby-Sewell was a marketing coordinator and assistant art director for the Breckenridge Group, a restaurant management firm, from October 2001 to April 2002 where she helped create local marketing and advertising campaigns. Among her clients were On the Border, Applebee's and Burger King. In April 2002 she founded her own advertising agency, Netherby Advertising, which developed, designed and executed advertising plans for the Breckenridge Group.
A 2001 graduate of the University of Nevada with a degree in advertising and journalism, Netherby-Sewell was a starter on the 1998 Wolf Pack team that received recognition in the top 25, won the Eastern Division of the Big West Conference and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. A captain in 1999, she was named MVP at the Duke University Tournament and garnered several other all-tournament honors. Netherby-Sewell still holds the Nevada single-match record for kills with 32, which she set against New Mexico State on October 8, 1998.
Netherby-Sewell enjoyed her finest season in 1998, when she returned from off-season heart surgery to post career-highs of 378 kills, 252 digs, 44 service aces (which ranked second in the Big West) and 41 1/2 blocks. The 378 kills ranks 10th on Nevada's single season list, while her 44 aces are sixth in single season history. Netherby-Sewell is also represented on the Wolf Pack's career record list, as she is eighth in kills (767) and 10th in service aces (87).
While an undergraduate at Nevada, Netherby-Sewell interned in the Wolf Pack athletic department, assisting in marketing and event coordination. She assisted in the organization and production of the Sixth Annual Salute to Champions Dinner and Silent Auction that featured Olympic softball gold medalist Dot Richardson, and raised a significant amount of money for the women's athletics program at Nevada.
A native of San Clemente, California, Netherby-Sewell was a standout at San Clemente High School and for the Laguna Beach Volleyball Club.
Married this past July to Hofstra Cross Country Coach James Sewell, the couple resides in Long Beach, New York.
LAUREN NETHERBY-SEWELL'S CAREER COACHING RECORD
2006 Hofstra University 24-7, 17-1 CAA NCAA Tournament, CAA Champions
2007 Hofstra University 19-12, 9-5 CAA CAA Tournament Finalists
TOTAL 43-19, 26-6 CAA
