Melissa Aldrich Shelton Named W&M Volleyball Head Coach

01/18/08 3:45PM

WILLIAMSBURG - William and Mary Athletics Director Terry Driscoll has announced the hiring of Melissa Aldrich Shelton as the Tribe’s new volleyball head coach. A former player at W&M (1987-91), Shelton comes to the College after a successful 13-year tenure as head coach at the University of Virginia where she was the winningest coach in the program’s history. Shelton replaces former Tribe head coach Debbie Hill, who retired following the 2007 season after a successful 30-year career at W&M.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Melissa Shelton as our new women’s volleyball head coach,” Driscoll said. “Melissa‘s undergraduate experience as an outstanding volleyball student-athlete here at William & Mary, her coaching success at the University of Virginia and the academic achievement of her student-athletes, we feel, make her the ideal choice to lead our women’s volleyball program.”

During her time at the helm of UVA’s program, Shelton compiled a 235-179 overall record and guided the Cavaliers to pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. The at-large berths, coming in consecutive seasons (1998, 1999), were the program’s initial appearances in the national tournament. Additionally, Shelton led Virginia to five 20-win seasons, highlighted by a 26-win campaign in 1998 that marked the second-most victories in school history.

In addition to the team accolades, Shelton helped produce six honorable mention All-Americans, 11 all-region selections and 26 All-ACC honorees. Her student-athletes also excelled in the classroom, earning a 100 percent graduation rate since 1996 as well as a perfect Academic Progress Report (APR) score.

"I am thrilled to be returning to the Tribe,” Shelton said. “Ever since I started coaching this has been my dream job. The philosophy of the athletic department, the atmosphere of the College and the spirit of the students are all perfect fits for me as a person. I would like to thank the hiring committee for offering me a chance to make my dream come true.

"William and Mary volleyball has a long history of success on the court and in the classroom. I am looking forward to building upon the foundation that Coach Debbie Hill has built over the last 30 years and am eager to get started."

Prior to taking over the reigns as head coach at Virginia, Shelton served as an assistant at Clemson University from 1993-95. During her tenure with the Tigers, she helped the team achieve its first ever NCAA Tournament bids, as the squad earned back-to-back berths in 1993 and 1994.

Shelton’s first coaching position was at Arkansas State University, where she served as an assistant from 1991-93. She helped the Indians to a pair of Sun Belt Conference championships, as the program garnered its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid in ’92.

A three-year starter for the Tribe, Shelton was elected as a team captain during her junior and senior seasons. She helped W&M claim four consecutive CAA titles and earn two National Invitational Volleyball Championship appearances. An All-CAA selection as a junior, she was chosen to the CAA All-Tournament Team during her senior season.