Russ Friedland Joins East Carolina Volleyball Staff As Assistant Coach
April 06, 2016 | Volleyball
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Russ Friedland has been named an assistant coach for the East Carolina volleyball program according to an announcement from fourth-year head coach Julie Torbett on Wednesday. Friedland fills the vacancy left by Chris Rose who departed ECU for a similar position at Arizona State.
"I am very pleased to add Russ to the staff at East Carolina," Torbett said. "He has a lot of experience in the gym as well as recruiting connections on the east and west coasts that will help us attract the highest level of players to our program."
Friedland spent the last three years as an assistant coach at UNLV where his main focus was serving as the recruiting coordinator. During his time in the Las Vegas Valley, the Rebels amassed a 58-34 record and produced a winning season all three campaigns. UNLV finished two matches over .500 (16-14) in 2013 before it won 78.8 percent (26-7) of its contests a year later.
"I am thrilled to be part of this volleyball program and university," Friedland said. "The energy and commitment to this athletic department stood out when I visited campus and has continued since I arrived. I would like to thank head coach Julie Torbett and Senior Woman Administrator Shelley Binegar for the opportunity to come in and help elevate Pirate Volleyball to the top of the American Athletic Conference. I'm excited to be back on the east coast and ready to get in the gym with the team and staff."
Friedland helped mentor a total of six student-athletes to Mountain West All-Conference honors from 2013-15. Sekola Falemaka was recognized as an All-Mountain West Team member in 2013, while Allison Davies (2014), Daryn Glenn (2014), Bree Hammel (2014 and 2015), Alexis Patterson (2014) and Katlin Winters (2014: Honorable Mention) earned all-conference accolades as well.
The 2014 campaign was a memorable one for Friedland and the Rebels as the team set single-season program records in overall (26) and conference (14) wins. UNLV reset a total of seven program marks and tied five more and was rewarded with five selections to the All-Mountain West team including Hammel - an AVCA All-Pacific South Region Honorable Mention selection. The Rebels knocked off then-No. 7 Colorado State at home and the victory represented the highest ranked opponent UNLV had defeated in program history.
Prior to moving to Las Vegas, Friedland served as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville following a four-year run as the head coach at the Metro American Volleyball Club 17-1 (MAVBC) in Washington, D.C.
During his last season at Tennessee, Friedland helped the Lady Vols to a 22-8 overall mark and a trip to the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The year concluded with a 3-2 loss to Michigan in the first round of the event. Before the loss, Tennessee had rattled off 13 wins in their final 14 regular-season matches following a 9-5 start to the year.
Friedland's responsibilities at Tennessee were assisting Rob Patrick, a two-time National Coach of the Year, with mentoring the setters and defensive specialists as well as off-the-court duties such as opponent scouting, film breakdown and exchange and helping coach and run camps.
"I believe that Russ is one of the up and coming coaches in our profession," Patrick stated. "He has a very good eye for recruiting talented players and does a great job in the gym. Russ' personality allows him to get the best out of the players with which he works."
Before his time at UT, Friendland helped qualify the MAVBC's 17-Travel squad to multiple girls junior national championships. His team also received a No. 1 ranking in the Chesapeake Region in 2012 after winning the South Atlantic title in both 2010 and `11. During his tenure with the club team, Friedland worked as an assistant coach at Howard University where he helped the Bison to a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament appearance.
In addition to his time at Tennessee and Howard, Friedland assisted the volleyball staffs at George Washington University, American University and the University of Connecticut. He also served as head coach of the men's and women's teams at Daniel Webster College from 2007-08.
A native of Mansfield, Conn., Friedland earned his undergraduate degree in sport management from Endicott College in Beverly, Mass., in 2005. A four-year letterwinner on the men's volleyball team, he received his M.B.A. from his alma mater a year later.
