Sports

Ladi Iya Named Volleyball Coach

COACH: Ladi Iya, a former collegiate player and coach, is the new volleyball coach at Rochester.

The Yellowjacket volleyball team will take to the floor this fall under the direction of new head coach Ladi Iya, a former collegiate middle blocker who has experience playing and coaching at the top levels of the game. Iya, who most recently was an assistant coach at the University at Buffalo, succeeds Linda Downey, who is retiring after five seasons as head coach at Rochester.

“Ladi brings a tremendously rich background in the game and has experience coaching at a very high level,” says George VanderZwaag, director of athletics and recreation at Rochester. “I believe she has the skills to build on our progress in volleyball, providing our students the very best experience as we strive for success in the University Athletic Association.”

A graduate of the University of Evansville, Iya was the team captain and starting middle blocker for the NCAA Division I Purple Aces and holds the single-season record for blocks at Evansville. She was one of 52 athletes selected to compete in the United States Professional Volleyball League, competing for the Grand Rapids Force in Grand Rapids, Mi., and also competed for Nigeria in the 2004 Olympic qualifier for African nations.

After serving as assistant coach at Evansville, she was an assistant and then the interim head coach at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., before joining the staff at Buffalo.