Debbie Hill to Lead W&M in Final Home Matches

Tribe Icon Ending 30-Year Run as Volleyball Coach

11/05/07 3:00PM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - After an impressive 30-year career as head coach of the William and Mary volleyball team, Debbie Hill will lead the Tribe in her final home matches this Thursday and Friday. Hill has announced that she will retire from her coaching position at the conclusion of the 2007 season.

One of the most successful coaches in collegiate volleyball history, Hill has recorded an all-time record of 565-405 and ranks 21st in NCAA career victories. A five-time Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year honoree, Hill guided W&M to seven straight conference championships from 1985-91 and registered an amazing 56 consecutive league wins in the process. Additionally, she has led the Green and Gold to 20-win seasons 12 times, an NCAA Tournament bid in 2001, three trips to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship and a ranking as high as 28th in the National Rating Index.

“Debbie Hill embodies those tangible and intangible qualities of the true coach/educator,” William and Mary Athletics Director Terry Driscoll said. “Her student-athletes have enjoyed tremendous success on the court, in the classroom and in their lives beyond William and Mary. Her colleagues recognize her, not only as a terrific coach, but also as a true friend always available and willing to help. Debbie’s personality and integrity have influenced and helped shape the character of the William and Mary Athletics Department and its pursuit of academic and athletic excellence.”

In addition to the success achieved collectively as a team, numerous Tribe players have garnered numerous individual awards under Hill’s tutelage. Twenty-nine student-athletes have earned all-conference honors during her career, while four players have won seven CAA Player of the Year awards. Highlighting the long list of decorated players are three-time CAA Player of the Year honoree Heidi Erpelding and two-time winner Jennifer Torns.

While the success on the court is impressive, the Tribe’s achievements in the classroom are equally remarkable. In 1995, the Tribe was honored with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award while posting the College’s highest cumulative GPA. Anna Finley and Anna Agbe-Davies stand as a tribute to the total development Hill has emphasized, as both were selected as Academic All-Americans. Agbe-Davies also earned a prestigious NCAA postgraduate scholarship.

Hill began her coaching career at the College in 1976 and guided the Tribe to a 15-9 record during her initial season. Just four years later, she led W&M to a program-record 34 victories and followed that with a 33-win season just two years later. While helping the College achieve seven consecutive conference titles from 1985-91, W&M averaged 25 wins per season and posted a .771 winning percentage.

A native of Miami, Fla., Hill was a five-sport athlete at Miami Dade Community College – South Campus, where she helped the volleyball team to a fifth-place finish at the national tournament during her freshman season. After earning her A.S. in physical education in 1972, Hill continued her volleyball career at the University of Houston. During her junior year, she helped lead the Cougars to a sixth-place finish at the national tournament. Hill graduated with a B.S. degree in physical education in 1974.

A nationwide search for Hill’s successor will begin immediately following the conclusion of the 2007 season.