Purdue University Northwest Director of Athletics Rick Costello announced the hiring of Sean Douglas as Head Women's Volleyball Coach.
Douglas, who is a native of Lake Forest, Ill., comes to Purdue Northwest from Life Pacific University (Calif.). He was the first head volleyball coach at LPU, where he led the Warriors to the 2017 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Championship Tournament in only the third year of the volleyball program's existence.
"We are excited for this new chapter in Purdue Northwest Women's Volleyball under the leadership of Sean Douglas," said Costello. "I am confident that Sean will do an excellent job and the Pride of PNW are thrilled to welcome Coach Douglas and his family to Northwest Indiana."
Last fall, Douglas guided Life Pacific during a record-setting campaign with the best winning percentage (.703) and most conference wins (12) in school history. The Warriors finished 19-8 overall and finished third in the highly competitive Golden State Athletic Conference with two wins over nationally-ranked opponents. Douglas mentored a pair of 2021 Honorable Mention NAIA All-Americans in libero Sydney Culpepper and outside hitter Hannah Caddow.
Douglas, who was named 2017 NCCAA West Region Coach of the Year, spent seven seasons building the LPU volleyball program. During the 2017 postseason run, the Warriors rattled off 18 straight wins and finished with a school-record 23 victories.
"My family and I are so excited to join the Purdue Northwest Pride," Douglas said. "On my visit, I was blown away by the family-like atmosphere and positivity of the athletics staff and Athletic Director Rick Costello. Although it was really hard to leave my team, I am excited to help build the PNW program and instill confidence into our student-athletes and give them a great collegiate athletic experience."
Prior to LPU, Douglas spent seven years as varsity head coach at St. Lucy's Priory High School where he was successful with six straight league titles and a pair of state regional runner-up finishes. He earned several accolades including California Interscholastic Federation Coach (CIF) Southern Section Coach of the Year in 2010, Daily Bulletin coach of the year in 2010 and 2011, San Gabriel coach of the year 2010, CIF Southern Section coach of the year finalist in 2011 and Daily Bulletin's top 10 most influential sports personalities in 2010 and 2011.
As a club coach, Douglas has guided teams that qualified for the Junior National Championships in 2014, 2016 and 2017. He has coached and helped send over 100 student-athletes to play in college.
During his playing career, Douglas was a starter and captain for the 1999 National Championship team at the University of La Verne and was named to the All-Millennial team.
