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Jaime Pryor |
Head Coach pryor@hood.edu (301) 696-3491 |
Former Towson University volleyball star and successful area high school coach Jaime Pryor was named Hood College's ninth volleyball coach on Nov. 26, 2008.
In her inaugural campaign with the Blazers in 2009, Pryor and her young Blazer squad went 5-20, but showed considerable improvement throughout the fall season. Pryor looks to return the Blazer volleyball program to prominence in 2010 as the Blazers enter their fourth season in the Capital Athletic Conference.
Pryor has developed some of the area's best talent at Middletown
High School and North Hagerstown High School since 1999, serving as
head coach for both programs. Pryor began her head coaching career
at North Hagerstown in 1999 where she amassed a record of 22-8 in
two seasons with the Hubs. She then journeyed to fellow Monocacy
Valley Athletic League member Middletown where she compiled an
87-50 record. In 2007, Pryor guided the Knights to a 14-3 overall
record and a spot in the regional championship game. She was named
Frederick County Coach of the Year by the Frederick News-Post for
her efforts.
Pryor was a four-year varsity standout at Frederick High School
where she served team captain as a junior and senior and was a
two-time Frederick County Player of the Year.
A 1998 graduate of Towson University, Pryor was a four-year
letterwinner for the Tigers and was a member of the 1994 Big South
Conference championship squad. In 90 total matches over her
four-year career, Pryor registered 465 kills, 243 digs, 40 total
blocks, 28 service aces and 16 assists.
Since graduation, Pryor has continued to play competitively for
USA Volleyball. She earned trips to nationals in 2002 (Dallas),
2006 (New Orleans) and 2008 (Atlanta) and was a member of the
regional championship teams in 2007 and 2008. Pryor was also
selected to the all-region team in 2007.
Pryor has also coached at numerous camps and clinics in the
region, including Frederick Community College, Hedgesville High
School and Virginia Tech.
Pryor earned a bachelor of science degree in speech pathology and
audiology from Towson in 1998 and a masters degree in secondary
special education from Hood in 2004. She currently teaches special
education and biology at Middletown.
Pryor inherited the program from Judy McGraw, who retired after
six seasons at Hood.
"I look forward to the challenge of transitioning to the college
level and to the competitiveness of the Capital Athletic
Conference," said Pryor. "I hope to make Hood a viable option for
the talented local athletes who wish to further their playing
careers without having to move far away from the area, as well as
attract talented players who wish to relocate to a wonderful
community."
Pryor and her husband, David, reside in Myersville with their
daughter, Jordan, and son, Luke.
|
Katie Smith |
Assistant Coach smithk@hood.edu |
Katie Smith begins her second season on the sidelines as a member of the Hood volleyball coaching staff.
A 2003 graduate of Shippensburg University, Smith served as an assistant coach of the varsity volleyball squad at Middletown High School for two seasons. She has also been employed as a business education teacher and technology coordinator in the Frederick County Public School system since 2004.
Smith currently resides in Frederick.
|
Ellen Faaleolea |
Volunteer Assistant Coach |
Ellen Faaleolea joins the Blazer volleyball coaching staff as a volunteer assistant for the 2010 season.
Originally from Dearborn, Mich., Faaleolea has served as a volleyball instructor and coach for 14 years. A three-year varsity starter at defensive specialist and setter at the University of Michigan Dearborn from 1995-98, Faaleolea was a two-time all-section pick and earned all-region recognition in 1998. During her four years at UM-Dearborn, she served as a varsity assistant coach at Dearborn High School.
Her previous head coaching experience includes stints with the Victors Volleyball Club and at Edsel Ford High School in Dearborn, Mich., as well as the FCV Tri-State Volleyball Club in Hagerstown. Faaleolea also served as a guest skills coach at Herndon High School in Herndon, Va., in addition to serving as the head youth clinic instructor for the Activity Center at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg. She is also the clinic instructor for the Frederick Area Volleyball Organization (FAVOR).
In 2004, Faaleolea was tabbed the "Queen of the Court" by the Maryland School for the Deaf at the Washington D.C. women's pro volleyball tour. She participated in the Scotland Open Tournament in 2004 and was named the most valuable player at the 2006 North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball Tournament (NACIVT) nationals. Faaleolea was named to three straight all-tournament teams at the Chesapeake Region Volleyball Association (CHRVA) tournament from 2003-05 and traveled to Spain and Portugal as part of the spring exposure tour with BringIt Promotions, Inc. She also participated in USA Volleyball Nationals for more than 10 years at the women's club AA and A levels.
Faaleolea received a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Michigan Dearborn in August 1999. She is employed full-time at the Southern Research Institute as a supervisor of organic chemistry. Faaleolea is certified as a provisional referee and regional scorekeeper by USA Volleyball. She is also IMPACT certified, is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and attended the 2009 AVCA Convention in Tampa, Fla.
|
Bethany Hambrick |
Assistant Coach hoodvbcoach@yahoo.com |
Bethany Hambrick begins her second season as a member of the Blazer volleyball coaching staff.
A former assistant varsity volleyball coach and head junior varsity volleyball coach at Middletown High School, Hambrick is a 2001 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va. She went on to obtain a master's degree from Shenandoah University in 2004. Originally from Hagerstown, Md., Hambrick attended Grace Academy where she starred on the volleyball squad for four years. She also lettered in volleyball at EMU during her freshman campaign.
Hambrick, who still resides in Hagerstown, continues to play volleyball on the adult women's team here in Frederick.
