The ball is now in Valdosta State University’s court as the athletic department begins searching for a new volleyball coach.

Former VSU volleyball head coach, Sia Poyer, recently accepted an offer to return to his alma mater, Eastern New Mexico, to take on the same position. Athletic Director, Herb Reinhard, is now in the process of filling the position.

The position has already been posted for a national search and the deadline for application submission is January 25th.

There currently aren’t any favorites for the search.

Although this is the off-season, there is still recruiting, spring practice, and other things to tend to that would be ideal for a coach to be in attendance for. With that, Reinhard plans to thoroughly conduct a search for the new coach and does not have a set timeline to announce the new account. “Sia certainly built a nice program here,” Reinhard said.

The department isn’t necessarily looking for coaching philosophy in the new candidates but something more tangible. The future candidates will be evaluated by their history of success not only on the court but also during the post-season, their length with successful programs, and their mentoring with students in the classroom.

Despite the fact that there is not a set date that Reinhard plans to announce the hiring of the new head coach he believes that the team will adjust well. Reinhard feels that it will be interesting to see what players step up in leadership to help bring returning players together with the new coach.