April 10, 2003
Louella Lovely has joined the Notre Dame volleyball staff as an assistant coach. A former stand out setter at the Air Force Academy, California-Berkeley and Cal Poly SLO, Lovely completes the Irish staff along with head coach Debbie Brown and assistant Robin Davis.
“I am really excited to add Louella to our staff,” Brown says.
“She is exactly what we were looking for. One of her strengths is working with the setters and that will help us tremendously. She will be able to teach the technical aspect of the position and it is always good to have a dedicated set of eyes on the setter during practices and matches.”
“Louella also brings a wealth of experience to the program and will help our staff in a number of other areas.”
Lovely began her playing career at the Air Force Academy in 1993 before moving to California-Berkeley in 1995. She garnered American Volleyball Coaches Association all-region honors in 1993 and ’94 as a setter for the Falcons. The Los Angeles, Calif., native also earned AVCA All-America honors in 1994.
The 1996 season found Lovely at Cal Poly SLO (San Luis Obispo), where she was the team captain under former Notre Dame assistant coach Steve Schlick. She excelled both on and off the court at Cal Poly, earning the Big West Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year award in 1998 and two Arthur Ashe Jr. Sport Scholar Awards in 1997 and ’98. She capped her stellar academic career with an NCAA Ethnic Minority Postgraduate Scholarship in 1999.
Lovely utilized that postgraduate scholarship back at California, where she earned a master’s degree in Education, Language, Literacy and Culture: Athletes and Academic Achievement.
Born April 25, 1974, in Kingsport, Tenn., Lovely also worked as an assistant coach at California in 1998 and 1999 before moving to Deutsche Bank Securities in 1999. She also coached the Golden Bear Volleyball Club, featuring players 18 and under, from 1999 until she accepted the position at Notre Dame.
“I am so excited to join the Notre Dame family,” Lovely says.
“Working with Debbie and Robin will definitely help me grow not only as a volleyball coach but as a student-athlete mentor as well. I can’t wait to start training again.
“I am amazed by the rich history and tradition of academic and athletic excellence at Notre Dame. I can’t imagine a better place to be for collegiate athletics.”
The 2003 Notre Dame volleyball season begins for Lovely and the Irish staff on Friday, Aug. 29, against Arizona in Malibu, Calif.