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Don Metil enters his fifth season as head volleyball coach at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2011. He came to UMES after two years at Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival Coppin State. Metil coached the Hawks to its best-ever season in 2011, leading UMES to a 24-7 record and first-ever MEAC Championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament, earning his third MEAC Coach of the Year honor. With the team being co-champions in the Bryant and Brown Invitationals and the outright champion in the UMES Hawk Invitational, UMES went 12-0 in the MEAC Northern Division and won the MEAC Championship, defeating Florida A&M in five sets in the title match. The Hawks went to Los Angeles for their first ever NCAA Tournament match, falling to eventual national champion UCLA. The milestone season was highlighted by freshman outside hitter Saitaua Iosia. Iosia earned MEAC Rookie of the Year, making her the fifth UMES player in as many years to earn the honor, MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player and All-MEAC First Team. In addition, freshman setter Jessie Vicic and sophomore middle blocker Kaveinga Lea'Aetoa earned All-MEAC First Team and Second Team respectively. The Hawks led the MEAC in nearly every category, including hitting percentage, opposing hitting percentage, assists per set, kills per set and blocks per set. In 2010, Metil led UMES to a 20-12 overall record and an 8-2 mark in the MEAC, helping the Hawks to their fourth consecutive northern division title. UMES fell short of the championship match in the conference tournament for the first time in his tenure, losing to South Carolina State in the semifinals, 3-1. With that said it was still a successful season for Metil and UMES. Metil mentored freshman outside hitter Maline Vaitai to being named First Team All-MEAC as well as MEAC Rookie of the Year. Vaitai's Rookie of the Year selection marked the fourth consecutive season UMES earned the honor under Metil. Three more Hawks were named to the All-MEAC Team in 2010. Senior Samantha Chukwura, freshman middle blocker Lea'Aetoa, and sophomore Stephanie Sierra all were named to the conference's second team. Furthermore, UMES was the national leader in service aces per game (2.08) for the third time in for four seasons. Individually, junior Zoe Bowens led the nation in the category, serving up 0.67 aces per game. Metil's 2009 Hawks finished 24-7 and were undefeated in MEAC play for the third straight season, capturing the northern division crown. UMES advanced to the MEAC championship match for the third consecutive season under Metil's watch. He mentored four players to conference postseason honors and was named MEAC Coach of the Year by his peers for the second time. For the second year during his tenure, the Hawks led the country in aces per set (2.54). Freshman setter Bella Jade Romero was named MEAC Rookie of the Year while senior outside hitters Whitney Johnson and Caylin Woodward earned First and Second Team All-MEAC accolades, respectively. Sophomore hitter Christine Edwards also earned Second Team All-MEAC honors. Junior middle blocker Chukwura topped the conference a season ago in hitting percentage (.397). Coming off his second consecutive 20-win season and MEAC northern division championship in 2008, Metil has a 29-1 record at home in the William P. Hytche Athletic Center in his four seasons. Christina Estebane was named 2008 MEAC Player of the Year following the season while Edwards earned MEAC Rookie of the Year honors. Estebane, Edwards and Johnson each took a spot on the All-MEAC First Team. Six of Metil's Lady Hawks were named to a least one all-tournament team in 2008 with Estebane leading the team with five selections. Johnson had three all-tournament team nods while Edwards, Woodward, Chukwura and Thonya Joseph had one apiece. Johnson also earned one tournament MVP accolade. Metil had a successful first year at the helm of the Hawks, guiding them to a runner-up finish in the MEAC Championship with a 24-4 overall record. They did not suffer a loss at home or on the road (all losses occurred on a neutral court) and posted a perfect 10-0 mark in conference play for the first time in school history. In the process UMES had one of the country's longest winning streaks in 22 matches and finished as the nation's best serving team thanks in large part to his tutelage in the service approach. As a testament to his coaching ability and the great strides of the team, Metil was awarded the 2008 MEAC Coach of the Year. In addition, several of his players picked up postseason awards including Johnson, who was named MEAC Player of the Year and selected to the All-MEAC First Team along with Estebane. Woodward wrapped up the accolades by garnering All-MEAC Second Team recognition. Other notable achievements included Johnson and Woodward being selected on seven different occasions during the regular season as MEAC Player of the Week, while Estebane' and Woodward finished 10th and 14th, respectively, in the nation for aces per game on a team that averaged 2.84. In his two seasons at Coppin, Metil tallied a 15-46 overall mark with a 9-11 record in conference play. He is second all time in wins with the Eagles' program and has the most conference wins of any coach in Coppin State history. In 2006, his Eagles posted an 8-21 record and went 4-6 in MEAC play. Those eight wins are the most in program history in a single season. Metil owned virtually every Coppin State volleyball record during his stint there. Of the 24 single-match team records tracked by the Eagles, Metil's teams owned half. His squads also held CSU records for longest home win streak, most home wins, most kills, best hitting percentage, most assists and most digs. In a program traditionally near the bottom of the MEAC, Metil made significant strides, finishing eighth in 2006 and seventh in 2005. In 2005, he was .500 in conference play and posted a 3-2 win over the Hawks, his first win as a D-I coach. Metil also coached Indira Laurencin who was an All-MEAC player in 2006. Two other players from CSU also earned MEAC player and rookie of the week honors under his tutelage. Before his stint at Coppin State, Metil was at nationally-ranked Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C. There he was Head Women's Volleyball Coach and an assistant with the men's team. The D-II power finished 30-9 and 16-2 in the Carolinas Virginia Athletic Conference, winning their eighth consecutive league championship. The Bobcats maintained a fifth-place ranking in the Atlantic region and finished the season No. 24 in the nation. Their season ended in the semifinals of the Women's NCAA Tournament. No stranger to Maryland collegiate volleyball, Metil was the Head Coach of the Gators at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland for two seasons prior to his stint with the Bobcats. There he tallied a 40-30 overall record, including a 20-2 mark in the Atlantic Women's College Conference. They were also 2002 AWCC Champions and runners-up in 2003. Metil coached an elite group of collegiate women in 2005 in Aruba. The international event included two teams from the United States and several from Aruba, Venezuela, Brazil, and Puerto Rico. Metil's team was undefeated and took the gold medal, defeating the other U.S. team in four games. Entering the 2011 season, Metil boasts a career record of 178-117 (.603) and 83-17 (.830) in conference in nine seasons as a collegiate head coach. Prior to his collegiate coaching career, Metil taught sixth-grade science at Dumbarton Middle School for seven years. During that period, he coached at several high schools and for junior Olympic clubs in the Maryland metro area. Metil is a 1996 graduate of California University of Pennsylvania and holds a degree in Secondary Education and Sports Medicine. He is a certified athletic trainer and received a Master's degree from Loyola College (Md.) in Secondary Education. Metil played collegiate volleyball, primarily as a setter. He and his wife Monica currently live in Hebron, Md. They have two sons, Hayden (4) and Preston (1). |
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