Youngstown State head volleyball coach Aline Scott announced Friday that Jesus Echevarria has been elevated to the role of Associate Head Coach, and Keith Lundgren and Kelly Kiger have joined the staff for the 2023 season.
Echevarria's promotion comes after he helped the Penguins attain their best record in eight years during the 2022 season. Youngstown State set a new school record with eight Horizon League victories, and a hot stretch of winning eight out of 11 matches propelled the team to its first conference tournament berth since 2014. The Penguins had their second-best attack percentage as a team since 1999 at .216, and they had their most kills per set and best attack percentage in eight years.
As a recruiter, Echevarria helped secure five new student-athletes for the 2023-24 season. Those incoming Penguins include Ohio natives Michelle Fredrick, Maria Insana and Jocelyn Jourdan, who will all be freshmen. Two international student-athletes, freshman Gabriela Machin from San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, and junior Jazmin Vergara from Buenaventura, Columbia, will also be on the roster in the fall.
"Jesus and I have worked closely together over the last year-and-a-half to build this program to all we believe it can be," Scott said. "This change in title is a recognition of the type of partnership we have developed and the great influence he has had in our program. Jesus has helped us propel to new levels, and this promotion is an acknowledgment of his impact."
Lundgren officially joined Scott's staff on June 1 and will be charged with opponent film evaluation, in-match scouting, working closely with the strength and conditioning program and assisting in recruiting.
He comes to Youngstown from Canada, where he worked most recently at Olds College of Agriculture & Technology. With the Broncos, Lundgren provided analytics for in-match strategy and advanced scouting. He also had strength and conditioning and on-court coaching responsibilities.
Lundgren's coaching career began in 1996 at the high school level, and his collegiate coaching experience spans nearly 20 years. He worked with elite college athletes in Canada and the United States at the CCAA, U SPORTS, NCAA and NAIA levels. He has also been involved with multiple provincial programs.
"Keith stood out to us through the hiring process for his experience, his love for the game, and his values," said Scott. "His ability to analyze the game from a different perspective is something I look forward to adding to our training and preparation. I'm happy to welcome him to our staff and can't wait to see what we can all accomplish together."
Kiger joined the staff in March, and her primary duties will be coordinating team travel and gameday logistics. She will also assist with running the program's summer camps and assist with practices.
She was previously a volleyball coach in the nearby East Liverpool school district, where she also taught for three years. Outside of volleyball, Kiger teaches English at the Ohio Virtual Academy, and she also operates Custom Cookies by Kelly.
Kiger is familiar with the Horizon League a three-year volleyball player at Cleveland State from 2012-14. She started 26 matches at middle blocker as a sophomore and was named to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team. Kiger attended East Liverpool High School, where she was the Columbiana County Player of the Year and a First-Team All-Ohioan as a senior.
"Kelly is a former student-athlete in the Horizon League and brings the desire, work ethic and excitement for learning that is crucial for young coaches," Scott said. "Her experiences as an athlete, ability to connect with the players, organizational skills and energetic attitude will be valuable to us."
Youngstown State's 2023 schedule will begin with a four-team tournament at Beeghly Center on Aug. 25-26.
