RIVERSIDE, Calif.- The UC Riverside women's volleyball team made a huge addition to its coaching staff on March 4 as the Highlanders announced the hiring of Assistant Coach Andrew Hein. The former national champion and Team USA medalist comes to Riverside with a lengthy coaching and player resume in Southern California.



"It's great to be in a place where good things are on the horizon, which is what I see for this team," Hein said. "This program has a lot of potential and some great pieces to build on, so the goal is to continue moving up and making progress. Hopefully we can coach up our team this year and see some improvement."



As a coach, Hein has had stints with several Southern California programs, including his alma mater Pepperdine, Cal Baptist, and most recently a Big West program in UC Irvine. His skills are not limited to one side of the sport as he has worked with both women's and men's programs in his career.



"Coach Hein brings so much knowledge and experience to our program as a player and a coach," Head Coach Michelle Patton-Coleman said. "He is well known from his playing days and is a great coach on top of that, and we know that can help us get to that next level. It's very exciting when you can bring someone like that in to your program."



The name Andrew Hein is popular one in the world of volleyball as the middle blocker played at Pepperdine from 2003-06, earning AVCA All-American honors twice and helping the Waves capture a national championship in 2005. He earned All-MPSF honors as a senior and junior, while garnering AVCA Player of the Week honors twice in 2005. 



His playing career continued well after college as Hein was a member of the USA Men's National Team from 2006-13, collecting six medals, including gold at the 2010 FIVB World Championship Qualifier for NORCECA Group F and 2008 Pan American Cup. He also played for Fidia Padova Volleyball Club, Spacers Toulouse Volleyball Club and Hypo Tirol Volleyball Team in Italy, France, and Austria from 2012-15.



"With Coach Westlake retiring, who helped me build up this program to where it is today, I knew I needed to find someone who is just as passionate and committed to moving this program to the next level," Patton-Coleman said. "Coach Hein is the kind of person who is going to come in and inspire the team and continue looking for ways to reach higher every day, so I am excited to bring in someone who will be able to pick right up where she left off."