Nov. 17, 2004

Former West Texas A&M University assistant volleyball coach Scott Sandel has led the Boise State University Broncos into the Western Athletic Conference volleyball tournament this weekend at the University of Nevada at Reno.

Sandel, who was an assistant to head coach Kim Hudson from 1987-1990 and to head coach Debbie Hendricks from 1994-1995. During those two stints at WT the Lady Buffs were 176-44 and made the NCAA playoffs five of the six years he was here, and WT won its first of three national championships in 1990.

He also served as an assistant to Hudson at Northern Arizona University from 1991-1992 and at the University of South Carolina from 1997-1999.

Sandel was head coach at Northern Michigan University in 2000 and 2001, and both years the Wildcats were in the NCAA playoffs.

The WTAMU graduate with a degree in general studies, Sandel is in his third year at BSU with an overall record of 25-58. That was after just seven wins in his first two years. The Broncos had won only one WAC match in each of the previous years they were in the conference.

The team also put together for the first time three separate multiple match winning streaks of five, four, and another one of four.

BSU's record this year was 17-11 (6-7 in WAC), and they are seeded #4 and will play #5 seed Fresno State (14-12, 6-7 WAC) at 4:00 p.m. (CST) on Friday. If they win they will play the winner of undefeated #1 seed Hawai'I and #8 seed SMU on Saturday.

One of Sandel's players is sophomore outside hitter Jackie Stroud from Amarillo, Texas, High School, younger sister of former WTAMU All-American Shannon Stroud, who is now the head volleyball coach at Pampa, Texas High School.

-WT-