.png&width=36&height=36&type=webp)
University of North Carolina Athletics
Rackham Named National Assistant Coach of the Year
December 18, 2014 | Volleyball
Oklahoma City, Okla. - Carolina volleyball's Eve Rackham was named the AVCA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year on Thursday.
Rackham, a native of Sebastopol, Calif., just finished her sixth season as a coach at Carolina, compiling an overall record of 143-48 and five NCAA appearances during her time on staff. During the 2014 season, Rackham was an integral part of a coaching staff that led the Tar Heels to a 29-3 record, a No. 7 AVCA Coaches Poll ranking, a No. 5 NCAA RPI ranking, an ACC Championship and the program's first appearance in the NCAA Regional Finals.
Among her primary responsibilties on staff is guiding the setters and offense at UNC, where the Tar Heels have flourished into one of the ACC's best. Carolina was a top five team in three different statistical categories in 2014, including hitting percentage (No. 4, .259), assists/set (No. 4, 12.91 assists/set) and kills (No. 4, 13.89 kills/set). UNC boasted one of the most balanced offenses in the country, with eight attackers averaging over 1.00 kills/set and a .200 hitting percentage on the season.
Along with developing the dominant Carolina offense, Rackham's responsibilities include serving as the recruiting coordinator for the Tar Heels. The 2012 recruiting class was ranked No. 8 by PrepVolleyball.com, the highest in UNC history and the team's third top-30 class since the rankings started in 2003. UNC's 2011, 2013 and 2014 classes also gained national recognition and were ranked as High Honorable Mention by PrepVolleyball.com.
In addition, Rackham was a dominant player at UNC, serving as a starting setter for Carolina during her four-year career from 1999-2002. During her time as a player, UNC appeared in four NCAA Tournaments, including an appearance in the 2002 NCAA Sweet Sixteen and the program's previous highest ranking ever at No. 11.
The all-time assists average leader in Carolina history, Rackham earned first-team All-ACC and first-team AVCA All-Region in 2002. Rackham was part of the winningest class in school history from 1999-2002 as the Tar Heels compiled a 115-22 record, winning 84 percent of their games. The Sebastopol, Calif., native graduated from UNC in 2002 with a degree in journalism and mass communication.
Rackham's Division I Assistant Coach of the Year honor is the first such award for the Carolina volleyball program.
BYU's Shawn Olmstead was selected as the AVCA Division I Head Coach of the Year after a leading the Cougars to a WCC championship and an appearance in the NCAA Semifinals. Both coaches were honored on Thursday at the 2014 Jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma earlier today. The luncheon was held in conjunction with the 2014 AVCA Annual Convention.
