Fresno State Athletics
Women's Volleyball
Netherby-Sewell, Lauren
Lauren Netherby-Sewell
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- lnsewell@csufresno.edu
- Phone:
- 559-278-2837
Last updated July 7, 2017
Lauren Netherby-Sewell enters her 10th season at the helm of the Bulldog volleyball program in 2017 after leading the team to a winning overall record for the third time in the last five seasons. Through nine seasons leading the Bulldogs Netherby-Sewell has amassed a 120-147 record at Fresno State and is 164-169 overall as a head coach, having spent two years at Hofstra.
In her nine seasons at Fresno State, Netherby-Sewell's student-athletes have shined both on the court and in the classroom. Her players have amassed 10 all-conference honors, including four All-Mountain West selections, with 81 academic all-conference selections, 29 Mountain West Scholar-Athletes, six academic All-District honors, and an Academic All-American. Her teams have earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award with a team GPA at 3.30 or above in each of the last eight seasons.
Netherby-Sewell has had a tremendous impact on Bulldog volleyball while relying on a tried and true formula emphasizing fighting spirit, dedication and teamwork. She has inspired record crowds and developed a team focused on fundamentals and primed to excel by upgrading the Bulldogs' non-conference schedule and restoring the community's passion for a traditionally strong program.
2016
The 'Dogs finished the 2016 season with a 15-14 overall record and a 6-12 mark in the Mountain West tying for eighth in the MW. Under the direction of Netherby-Sewell, the Bulldogs picked up their third winning season since 2012.
After being selected eighth in the 2016 Mountain West Preseason Coaches' Poll, Fresno State tied for eighth with New Mexico (16-16, 6-12 MW) as the teams split its pair of matches. The Bulldogs logged a winning percentage of .517 on the season (.333 MW) and were 7-6 at home, 5-8 on the road and 3-0 at neutral sites. The 'Dogs went 7-8 in 3-set matches and 4-3 in four and five-set matches.
Fresno State got off to its best 11-game start to a season since 2002 winning its first five matches before dropping a pair of matches at the Bulldog Showdown. The 'Dogs answered back with a four-match winning streak sweeping three matches at the Incarnate Word Invitational and took down UC Irvine at home in four sets to finish non-conference play.
The 'Dogs got off to a 3-6 record during the first half of the Mountain West regular season picking up home victories over New Mexico (3-0), Air Force (3-2) and Wyoming (3-2). After dropping four matches, including a pair against NCAA foes Colorado State and UNLV, the 'Dogs topped San Diego State (3-1) and Utah State (3-1) at home and San Jose State (3-1) on the road to close out the season with three wins in their final five matches.
Senior and co-captain Aleisha Coates picked up the 'Dogs fifth all-conference honor since joining the Mountain West being named All-MW honorable mention.She led the team and finished sixth in the MW with 383 kills and was fifth with 3.55 kills per set, closing out her senior season ranking among the top six in the Mountain West and top 150 nationally in seven categories.
Team-wise, the Bulldogs led the Mountain West in service aces (180) & aces per set (1.67) while finishing seventh in kills per set (12.39) and blocks per set (2.14) and were eighth in assists per set (11.44). The 'Dogs were 15th in the nation in aces per set and 27th in service aces.
Jacqueline Hutcheson led the Mountain West in service aces with 53 and aces per set (0.49) to finish ninth and 11th in the nation, respectively. Coates was second in the MW in aces per set (0.35), fourth in points per set (4.35), service aces (38), attacks per set (9.81), fifth in points (458.5) and sixth in kills per set (3.55) and kills (383).
For the first time since 2011 there were seven 'Dogs with 100-plus kills, Coates led the way with 383 kills, while Carly Scarbrough (176), Brielle Hefner (173), Lauren Torres (165), Folk (148), Haile Watson (120) and Slover (107) each had 100 or more.
The Red Wave continuously aided in the Dogs' success at the Save Mart Center, as the team averaged nearly 800 fans per game. The 2016 record crowd (1,309) was set in October against Colorado State as more than 10,000 Bulldog supporters saw the 'Dogs 13 matches at the Save Mart Center.
2015
In 2015, the Bulldogs seized the third-best Mountain West finish and fourth highest win figure since 2008 while nearly doubling the amount of victories logged the previous year. Netherby-Sewell led Fresno State to a 14-win season, as the `Dogs were victorious in eight of the 14 non-conference matches, accounting for six three-set sweeps along the stretch.
She guided four Bulldogs to all-tournament honors -- Maggie Eppright (Western Carolina Tournament, Fresno State Classic), Brooke Legaux (Western Carolina Tournament), Carly Scarbrough (Bulldog Showdown, Fresno State Classic MVP), and Aleisha Coates (Bulldog Showdown). Netherby-Sewell's team averaged 622 fans per contest in 2015 and drew approximately 10,574 members of the Red Wave to the Save Mart Center.
Team-wise, the Bulldogs checked into the Mountain West top three in overall assists (1,455), kills (1,617) and digs (1,788) while positioned fifth in service aces (142) over 119 sets. The `Dogs were also among the elite five programs determined by 18 Mountain West matches in assists (850), kills (932), aces (79), digs (1,016) and combined attendance during the 65 sets competed in at home. Likewise, the squad ranked among the nation's top 100 within six categories of the NCAA Team Rankings -- No. 45 kills (1,617), No. 50 total attacks (4,383), No. 56 attacks per set (36.83), No. 70 kills per set (13.59), No. 82 assists (1,455) and No. 100 digs (1,788).
Fresno State ended the year with an All-Mountain West honor, as Eppright became the fourth Bulldog to be recognized in Netherby-Sewell's reign, since joining the conference in 2012. As a 2015 team co-captain, Eppright is the first member of the current roster to earn an all-conference accolade with the last coming in 2013. Adding to Eppright's successful defensive efforts during her junior campaign, she was the first of two volleyball representatives to be named a 2015 Fresno State Athletics Student-Athlete of the Week (fueled by Deli Delicious). Eppright earned the honor on Aug. 31, and was followed by Scarbrough on Sept. 21.
2014
The `Dogs finished the 2014 season with an overall record of 8-24, finishing 10th in the MW with a conference record of 3-15 after battling adversity, injuries, and a road heavy schedule.
For the second consecutive year, the `Dogs compiled a conference leading 12 Academic All-MW honors at the conclusion of the 2014 season including three-time recipients Zana Bowens and Katie Pearson, two-time award winners Maggie Eppright, Christina Lee, Jaimee-Lee Morrow, Maci Murdock, Brooke Legaux and Molly Pearson and newcomers Jelena Jovanovic, Carly Scarbrough, Lauren Torres and Jacqueline Hutcheson. In addition, Eppright was named to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-District Volleyball Team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Team-wise, the squad combined for its sixth-straight American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award thanks to its 3.46 team GPA for the 2014-15 academic term.
2013
In 2013, the team finished with a 17-15 overall mark en route to its first back-to-back winning campaigns since 2003 and '04. In MW play, the team staked an 11-9 record en route to a fourth-place finish - three places better than its preseason coaches pick.
In return for their hard work, the `Dogs scaled the NCAA's Ratings Performance Index to a rating of No. 90 and No. 102 in 2012 and '13 - their best since 2003. The 'Dogs also reaped a pair of All-MW nods (senior outside hitters Marissa Brand, Korrin Wild) and MW Newcomer of the Year honor (senior right side hitter Holly Franks). In the classroom in the fall of 2013, the 'Dogs had 12 Academic All-MW selections of their 13-person roster.
2012
In 2012, the Bulldogs enjoyed their best season in more than a decade. The `Dogs finished the year 18-13 and placed fourth in their first season as a Mountain West member. The season was highlighted by wins against the Pac-12's Colorado and MW volleyball powers Colorado State and Wyoming as Fresno State spent half the league slate among among the top three.
Two Bulldogs, Wild and Barbara Alcantara, earned MW Player of the Week awards, and the latter became the first Bulldog to garner All-MW honors. Under her guidance, the duo were among the best in the nation in service aces (12th, 0.44 p/s) and assists (28th, 11.2 p/s), respectively, and MW category leaders.
Netherby-Sewell fostered the development of the program's first Capital One Academic All-American in junior outside hitter Cecilia Agraz and one of 61 academic all-conference selections in her tenure.
2011
In 2011, the `Dogs maintained their aggressive approach and continued to make significant strides resulting in just the second five-set thriller in program history against national powerhouse and No. 3 Hawai'i in the WAC Tournament Semifinals. Three Bulldogs earned All-WAC honors as Brianna Clarke garnered her fourth all-conference nod as a member of the first team, Korrin Wild made the second team and Maci Murdock was named to the All-WAC Freshman Team. The team also showed its moxie early after losing All-WAC outside hitter Marissa Brand to a season-ending injury just 11 matches into the year. However, Netherby-Sewell focused on building the resolve and tenacity of the squad in shifting the rotation for an impressive postseason run.
2010
In 2010, Fresno State delivered a late surge that catapulted the Bulldogs into a tie for sixth place in WAC regular season play. Brianna Clarke and Marissa Brand earned second-team All-WAC honors, and Cecilia Agraz became the program's first CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in its 40-plus year history.
2009
In her second year at Fresno State, Netherby-Sewell led the Bulldogs and her first complete recruiting class to a remarkable turnaround in 2009 that ended in the WAC semifinals after a fourth-place conference finish.
Contributing to the best overall record by a Bulldog team since 2004, Clarke and senior Kelly Leonardo earned All-WAC Second-Team honors, while Brand was named to the All-WAC Freshman Team. It was the first time since 2004, that the `Dogs had three All-WAC selections in one year. It was also the sixth straight season with an All-WAC Freshman Team honoree.
Clarke posted one of the best blocking seasons in school history in 2009, ranking in the top 30 in the NCAA all year in blocks per set. She finished the season with 135 block assists and 158 total blocks to rank second and third in the Fresno State single-season lists, and fifth in blocks per set average (1.30).
At the Save Mart Center in 2009, the `Dogs posted an impressive 7-4 record and their highest home attendance total ever with 18,529 fans. They averaged 1,684 fans per match, another school record, and ranked in the top 30 in the nation in average attendance.
Her 2009 recruiting class of Agraz, Brand and Taylor Horton earned honorable mention honors from prepvolleyball.com. It was the first such honor for any Fresno State volleyball team.
2008
In 2008, her first year with the program, she guided a pair of freshmen - Platt and Clarke - to WAC All-Freshman Team honors (the first time in Fresno State history that two freshmen made the team in the same season). The `Dogs finished eighth in the regular season WAC standings and earned an opening-round victory over Louisiana Tech in the WAC Tournament in Honolulu.
That year, Fresno State ranked 30th in the nation in attendance in the newly configured Save Mart Center, averaging just over 1,200 fans per match.
Netherby-Sewell introduced the Fighting Spirit Award to Fresno State in 2008, an award begun at Hofstra University by Hall of Fame coach Fran Kalafer. Netherby-Sewell presents the award to an individual or the team on a weekly basis for the best display of a fighting spirit through adversity and challenges. At the end of the season, the individual or team who earns the most awards during the season receives the year-end Fighting Spirit Award and past recipients include Allanah Munson and Baylee Platt (2008), Kelly Mason (2010), Korrin Wild (2012) and the entire team (2009, '11, '13).
Prior to Fresno State...
Netherby-Sewell 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 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 and led the team to impressive 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 75th 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. Setter Shellane Ogoshi repeated as CAA Setter of the Year. Both players also earned All-CAA First-Team accolades, while Beverly Rivera was a All-CAA Second-Team selection.
As a result of her team's accomplishments, Netherby-Sewell received National Coach of the Year Honorable Mention from College Volleyball Update.
Netherby-Sewell would bring Hofstra back to the CAA title match in 2007 as the Pride compiled a 19-12 season topped off by 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. Three Pride players were honored by the CAA as Ogoshi was an All-CAA First-Team selection, 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 joined the Pride staff after serving two seasons as an assistant volleyball coach at Columbia University, 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 served as head coach of the Club Asics Long Island 17-1's team 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.
Following graduation, Netherby-Sewell was a marketing coordinator and assistant art director for the Breckenridge Group, a restaurant management firm. 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.
Netherby-Sewell graduated from the University of Nevada in 2001 with a degree in advertising and journalism. She 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.
She 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 ranked eighth on Nevada's single season list, while her 44 aces were sixth in single-season history. Netherby-Sewell was also represented on the Wolf Pack's career record lists in kills (fifth, 767) and service aces (eighth, 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.
She is married to James Sewell, Assistant Director of Development at Fresno State and a native of Long Island, N.Y. The Sewell's welcomed their first child in 2012 and second in 2015.
Lauren Netherby-Sewell enters her 10th season at the helm of the Bulldog volleyball program in 2017 after leading the team to a winning overall record for the third time in the last five seasons. Through nine seasons leading the Bulldogs Netherby-Sewell has amassed a 120-147 record at Fresno State and is 164-169 overall as a head coach, having spent two years at Hofstra.
In her nine seasons at Fresno State, Netherby-Sewell's student-athletes have shined both on the court and in the classroom. Her players have amassed 10 all-conference honors, including four All-Mountain West selections, with 81 academic all-conference selections, 29 Mountain West Scholar-Athletes, six academic All-District honors, and an Academic All-American. Her teams have earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award with a team GPA at 3.30 or above in each of the last eight seasons.
Netherby-Sewell has had a tremendous impact on Bulldog volleyball while relying on a tried and true formula emphasizing fighting spirit, dedication and teamwork. She has inspired record crowds and developed a team focused on fundamentals and primed to excel by upgrading the Bulldogs' non-conference schedule and restoring the community's passion for a traditionally strong program.
2016
The 'Dogs finished the 2016 season with a 15-14 overall record and a 6-12 mark in the Mountain West tying for eighth in the MW. Under the direction of Netherby-Sewell, the Bulldogs picked up their third winning season since 2012.
After being selected eighth in the 2016 Mountain West Preseason Coaches' Poll, Fresno State tied for eighth with New Mexico (16-16, 6-12 MW) as the teams split its pair of matches. The Bulldogs logged a winning percentage of .517 on the season (.333 MW) and were 7-6 at home, 5-8 on the road and 3-0 at neutral sites. The 'Dogs went 7-8 in 3-set matches and 4-3 in four and five-set matches.
Fresno State got off to its best 11-game start to a season since 2002 winning its first five matches before dropping a pair of matches at the Bulldog Showdown. The 'Dogs answered back with a four-match winning streak sweeping three matches at the Incarnate Word Invitational and took down UC Irvine at home in four sets to finish non-conference play.
The 'Dogs got off to a 3-6 record during the first half of the Mountain West regular season picking up home victories over New Mexico (3-0), Air Force (3-2) and Wyoming (3-2). After dropping four matches, including a pair against NCAA foes Colorado State and UNLV, the 'Dogs topped San Diego State (3-1) and Utah State (3-1) at home and San Jose State (3-1) on the road to close out the season with three wins in their final five matches.
Senior and co-captain Aleisha Coates picked up the 'Dogs fifth all-conference honor since joining the Mountain West being named All-MW honorable mention.She led the team and finished sixth in the MW with 383 kills and was fifth with 3.55 kills per set, closing out her senior season ranking among the top six in the Mountain West and top 150 nationally in seven categories.
Team-wise, the Bulldogs led the Mountain West in service aces (180) & aces per set (1.67) while finishing seventh in kills per set (12.39) and blocks per set (2.14) and were eighth in assists per set (11.44). The 'Dogs were 15th in the nation in aces per set and 27th in service aces.
Jacqueline Hutcheson led the Mountain West in service aces with 53 and aces per set (0.49) to finish ninth and 11th in the nation, respectively. Coates was second in the MW in aces per set (0.35), fourth in points per set (4.35), service aces (38), attacks per set (9.81), fifth in points (458.5) and sixth in kills per set (3.55) and kills (383).
For the first time since 2011 there were seven 'Dogs with 100-plus kills, Coates led the way with 383 kills, while Carly Scarbrough (176), Brielle Hefner (173), Lauren Torres (165), Folk (148), Haile Watson (120) and Slover (107) each had 100 or more.
The Red Wave continuously aided in the Dogs' success at the Save Mart Center, as the team averaged nearly 800 fans per game. The 2016 record crowd (1,309) was set in October against Colorado State as more than 10,000 Bulldog supporters saw the 'Dogs 13 matches at the Save Mart Center.
2015
In 2015, the Bulldogs seized the third-best Mountain West finish and fourth highest win figure since 2008 while nearly doubling the amount of victories logged the previous year. Netherby-Sewell led Fresno State to a 14-win season, as the `Dogs were victorious in eight of the 14 non-conference matches, accounting for six three-set sweeps along the stretch.
She guided four Bulldogs to all-tournament honors -- Maggie Eppright (Western Carolina Tournament, Fresno State Classic), Brooke Legaux (Western Carolina Tournament), Carly Scarbrough (Bulldog Showdown, Fresno State Classic MVP), and Aleisha Coates (Bulldog Showdown). Netherby-Sewell's team averaged 622 fans per contest in 2015 and drew approximately 10,574 members of the Red Wave to the Save Mart Center.
Team-wise, the Bulldogs checked into the Mountain West top three in overall assists (1,455), kills (1,617) and digs (1,788) while positioned fifth in service aces (142) over 119 sets. The `Dogs were also among the elite five programs determined by 18 Mountain West matches in assists (850), kills (932), aces (79), digs (1,016) and combined attendance during the 65 sets competed in at home. Likewise, the squad ranked among the nation's top 100 within six categories of the NCAA Team Rankings -- No. 45 kills (1,617), No. 50 total attacks (4,383), No. 56 attacks per set (36.83), No. 70 kills per set (13.59), No. 82 assists (1,455) and No. 100 digs (1,788).
Fresno State ended the year with an All-Mountain West honor, as Eppright became the fourth Bulldog to be recognized in Netherby-Sewell's reign, since joining the conference in 2012. As a 2015 team co-captain, Eppright is the first member of the current roster to earn an all-conference accolade with the last coming in 2013. Adding to Eppright's successful defensive efforts during her junior campaign, she was the first of two volleyball representatives to be named a 2015 Fresno State Athletics Student-Athlete of the Week (fueled by Deli Delicious). Eppright earned the honor on Aug. 31, and was followed by Scarbrough on Sept. 21.
2014
The `Dogs finished the 2014 season with an overall record of 8-24, finishing 10th in the MW with a conference record of 3-15 after battling adversity, injuries, and a road heavy schedule.
For the second consecutive year, the `Dogs compiled a conference leading 12 Academic All-MW honors at the conclusion of the 2014 season including three-time recipients Zana Bowens and Katie Pearson, two-time award winners Maggie Eppright, Christina Lee, Jaimee-Lee Morrow, Maci Murdock, Brooke Legaux and Molly Pearson and newcomers Jelena Jovanovic, Carly Scarbrough, Lauren Torres and Jacqueline Hutcheson. In addition, Eppright was named to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-District Volleyball Team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Team-wise, the squad combined for its sixth-straight American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award thanks to its 3.46 team GPA for the 2014-15 academic term.
2013
In 2013, the team finished with a 17-15 overall mark en route to its first back-to-back winning campaigns since 2003 and '04. In MW play, the team staked an 11-9 record en route to a fourth-place finish - three places better than its preseason coaches pick.
In return for their hard work, the `Dogs scaled the NCAA's Ratings Performance Index to a rating of No. 90 and No. 102 in 2012 and '13 - their best since 2003. The 'Dogs also reaped a pair of All-MW nods (senior outside hitters Marissa Brand, Korrin Wild) and MW Newcomer of the Year honor (senior right side hitter Holly Franks). In the classroom in the fall of 2013, the 'Dogs had 12 Academic All-MW selections of their 13-person roster.
2012
In 2012, the Bulldogs enjoyed their best season in more than a decade. The `Dogs finished the year 18-13 and placed fourth in their first season as a Mountain West member. The season was highlighted by wins against the Pac-12's Colorado and MW volleyball powers Colorado State and Wyoming as Fresno State spent half the league slate among among the top three.
Two Bulldogs, Wild and Barbara Alcantara, earned MW Player of the Week awards, and the latter became the first Bulldog to garner All-MW honors. Under her guidance, the duo were among the best in the nation in service aces (12th, 0.44 p/s) and assists (28th, 11.2 p/s), respectively, and MW category leaders.
Netherby-Sewell fostered the development of the program's first Capital One Academic All-American in junior outside hitter Cecilia Agraz and one of 61 academic all-conference selections in her tenure.
2011
In 2011, the `Dogs maintained their aggressive approach and continued to make significant strides resulting in just the second five-set thriller in program history against national powerhouse and No. 3 Hawai'i in the WAC Tournament Semifinals. Three Bulldogs earned All-WAC honors as Brianna Clarke garnered her fourth all-conference nod as a member of the first team, Korrin Wild made the second team and Maci Murdock was named to the All-WAC Freshman Team. The team also showed its moxie early after losing All-WAC outside hitter Marissa Brand to a season-ending injury just 11 matches into the year. However, Netherby-Sewell focused on building the resolve and tenacity of the squad in shifting the rotation for an impressive postseason run.
2010
In 2010, Fresno State delivered a late surge that catapulted the Bulldogs into a tie for sixth place in WAC regular season play. Brianna Clarke and Marissa Brand earned second-team All-WAC honors, and Cecilia Agraz became the program's first CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in its 40-plus year history.
2009
In her second year at Fresno State, Netherby-Sewell led the Bulldogs and her first complete recruiting class to a remarkable turnaround in 2009 that ended in the WAC semifinals after a fourth-place conference finish.
Contributing to the best overall record by a Bulldog team since 2004, Clarke and senior Kelly Leonardo earned All-WAC Second-Team honors, while Brand was named to the All-WAC Freshman Team. It was the first time since 2004, that the `Dogs had three All-WAC selections in one year. It was also the sixth straight season with an All-WAC Freshman Team honoree.
Clarke posted one of the best blocking seasons in school history in 2009, ranking in the top 30 in the NCAA all year in blocks per set. She finished the season with 135 block assists and 158 total blocks to rank second and third in the Fresno State single-season lists, and fifth in blocks per set average (1.30).
At the Save Mart Center in 2009, the `Dogs posted an impressive 7-4 record and their highest home attendance total ever with 18,529 fans. They averaged 1,684 fans per match, another school record, and ranked in the top 30 in the nation in average attendance.
Her 2009 recruiting class of Agraz, Brand and Taylor Horton earned honorable mention honors from prepvolleyball.com. It was the first such honor for any Fresno State volleyball team.
2008
In 2008, her first year with the program, she guided a pair of freshmen - Platt and Clarke - to WAC All-Freshman Team honors (the first time in Fresno State history that two freshmen made the team in the same season). The `Dogs finished eighth in the regular season WAC standings and earned an opening-round victory over Louisiana Tech in the WAC Tournament in Honolulu.
That year, Fresno State ranked 30th in the nation in attendance in the newly configured Save Mart Center, averaging just over 1,200 fans per match.
Netherby-Sewell introduced the Fighting Spirit Award to Fresno State in 2008, an award begun at Hofstra University by Hall of Fame coach Fran Kalafer. Netherby-Sewell presents the award to an individual or the team on a weekly basis for the best display of a fighting spirit through adversity and challenges. At the end of the season, the individual or team who earns the most awards during the season receives the year-end Fighting Spirit Award and past recipients include Allanah Munson and Baylee Platt (2008), Kelly Mason (2010), Korrin Wild (2012) and the entire team (2009, '11, '13).
Prior to Fresno State...
Netherby-Sewell 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 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 and led the team to impressive 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 75th 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. Setter Shellane Ogoshi repeated as CAA Setter of the Year. Both players also earned All-CAA First-Team accolades, while Beverly Rivera was a All-CAA Second-Team selection.
As a result of her team's accomplishments, Netherby-Sewell received National Coach of the Year Honorable Mention from College Volleyball Update.
Netherby-Sewell would bring Hofstra back to the CAA title match in 2007 as the Pride compiled a 19-12 season topped off by 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. Three Pride players were honored by the CAA as Ogoshi was an All-CAA First-Team selection, 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 joined the Pride staff after serving two seasons as an assistant volleyball coach at Columbia University, 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 served as head coach of the Club Asics Long Island 17-1's team 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.
Following graduation, Netherby-Sewell was a marketing coordinator and assistant art director for the Breckenridge Group, a restaurant management firm. 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.
Netherby-Sewell graduated from the University of Nevada in 2001 with a degree in advertising and journalism. She 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.
She 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 ranked eighth on Nevada's single season list, while her 44 aces were sixth in single-season history. Netherby-Sewell was also represented on the Wolf Pack's career record lists in kills (fifth, 767) and service aces (eighth, 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.
She is married to James Sewell, Assistant Director of Development at Fresno State and a native of Long Island, N.Y. The Sewell's welcomed their first child in 2012 and second in 2015.
| NETHERBY-SEWELL'S CAREER COACHING RECORD | |||
| 2006 | Hofstra | 24-7 (17-1 CAA) | CAA Champions / NCAA Tournament |
| 2007 | Hofstra | 19-12 (9-5 CAA) | CAA Tournament Finalists |
| 2008 | Fresno State | 7-20 (3-13 WAC) | WAC Tournament Quarterfinalists |
| 2009 | Fresno State | 15-16 (7-9 WAC) | WAC Tournament Semifinalists |
| 2010 | Fresno State | 13-15 (7-9 WAC) | WAC Regular Season (T-6th) |
| 2011 | Fresno State | 13-14 (6-6 WAC)* | WAC Tournament Semifinalists |
| 2012 | Fresno State | 18-13 (9-7 MW) | |
| 2013 | Fresno State | 17-15 (11-9 MW) | |
| 2014 | Fresno State | 8-24 (3-15 MW) | |
| 2015 | Fresno State | 14-18 (6-12 MW) | |
| 2016 | Fresno State | 15-14 (6-12 MW) | |
| TOTAL | FRESNO STATE | 120-147 (35-33 MW) | 9 Seasons |
| TOTAL | CAREER | 164-169 (84-98 CONFERENCE) | 11 Seasons |
*In 2011, the team finished 14-15 (7-7 WAC), but Netherby-Sewell was not the acting head coach for two games due to travel restrictions related to her pregnancy.
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