For Immediate Release July 14, 1999
Blair Calvert Named Volleyball Head Coach
SALEM, Va.--Roanoke College Athletics Director Scott Allison announced the hiring of Blair Calvert as the school’s new volleyball coach on Wednesday afternoon. Calvert is no stranger to the Maroon program. She played for the team for the past two seasons, setting several school records in her two-year stay. Calvert takes over a squad that completed the 1998 campaign with a 14-11 record and advanced to the semifinals of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament. After transferring from Division I Radford University, Calvert enjoyed a very successful two-year playing stint at Roanoke. She completed her Roanoke playing career with 517 kills, including a school-record 24 in a single match against Randolph-Macon Woman’s College during the 1997 season. She also established a new school record for digs in a match when she picked up 28 in a contest with Ferrum College last fall. For her play during the 1998 campaign, Calvert was named to the ODAC’s First Team All-Star squad and was also a Second Team All-State selection of the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID).
“I’m excited to coach where I played,” comments Calvert. “I’ve been a part of the team for the past two seasons and have a good understanding of where it is going. This is an up and coming team, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to make it one of the best in the conference and in the region.”
Proven talent on the court is not the only asset Calvert brings to the Roanoke College coaching staff. She has considerable experience on the sideline as well. For the past two seasons, Calvert has been an assistant coach with the Salem High School volleyball program. Before her time at Salem HS, Calvert spent a year as an assistant with the Radford High School volleyball team.
In addition to her work on the sideline during the season, Calvert has a vast amount of experience working with summer camps. This summer, she was instrumental in the development and success of the inaugural Roanoke College volleyball summer camp, serving as the camp’s director. She has also been a staff member at the Hollins University volleyball camp for the past two years and a staffer of the Northcross High School volleyball camp for the previous five summers.
“Normally it may be a risk to hire such a young person,” notes Roanoke AD Scott Allison, “but we believe Blair has shown maturity well beyond her years. In just two short years she has shown her dedication to the school and to the volleyball program. Her maturity and dedication will help take this team to a new level.”
A local product, Calvert graduated from Northcross High School where she helped her 1994 squad to its first ever state title. After graduating from Northcross, Calvert moved on to Radford University before coming to Roanoke College prior to the 1997 season. She graduated from Roanoke in the Spring of 1999 with a Bachelor of Art’s degree in Psychology. “I think my youth can only be an asset to the program,” continues Calvert. “I know most of the players; I can relate to them. I’ve come to know what to expect from them, and they know what they can expect from me.”