Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain named Jenny Hazelwood as the twelfth head coach of the Southern Miss Volleyball program on Dec. 20.
The announcement comes a month after former Head Coach Stephanie Radecki resigned following an 11-17 finish to the past season. Radecki served four years at the program, posting a combined 40-68 record.
Hazelwood has over 15 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level with stints at Centenary College, Mississippi College, Austin Peay and her most recent position as head coach at Mississippi State for six years.
She has roots in the sport as a former player too, holding records at Mississippi State as a setter for the most assists in a match, season and career.
As the Bulldogs’ head coach, Hazelwood led the program to its first victories over Top 20 RPI teams against Kentucky in 2011 and LSU in 2014 and earned the best-ranking season for the program in 2011 that stood until this season.
In her six years at Mississippi State, Hazelwood produced a .327 winning percentage with 56 wins and 129 losses.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Coach Jenny Hazelwood and her family to Southern Miss,” McClain said in a press release. “Jenny [Hazelwood] brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a head coach and is well-connected throughout the volleyball world. Her passion for the game and her student-athletes came through during the search process, and we look forward to watching her lead the Golden Eagles to new heights.”
Since her last coaching stop, Hazelwood has stayed involved in the sport, serving as an analyst for ESPN and the SEC network, as well as an assistant coach in the USA Volleyball Junior National program. She also founded the Infinity Volleyball Academy in Flowood, Mississippi and coached in the USA Volleyball High Performance programs.
“I am honored to have been chosen to lead this Southern Miss Volleyball program,” Hazelwood said in a press release. “From top-notch facilities to great support from athletic administration, it is clear that Southern Miss is a special place. I’m thankful to Athletic Director Jeremy McClain, Senior Associate AD Brian Morrison and SWA Sonya Varnell for their incredible support of volleyball at USM and for entrusting me to lead this program. I can’t wait to get in the gym with this group and continue to build on the great foundation they already have in place! SMTTT!”
Hazelwood looks to lead a Southern Miss Volleyball team that showed promise this season with a 5-2 start and 10-4 record at home, but dropped all ten games on the road and missed the postseason.
Read the full press release of the hiring at https://southernmiss.com/sports/womens-volleyball.
