Carter Cassell

Cassell comes to Denison after three seasons an assistant coach at Kenyon College.

Denison University Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics, Nan Carney-DeBord has announced the hiring of Carter Cassell as Denison’s head volleyball coach and instructor of Health, Exercise and Sports Studies. Cassell comes to Denison after three seasons an assistant coach at Kenyon College. Cassell replaces Sarah Graves who recently accepted the head volleyball position at her alma mater, Macalester College.

“We believe that Denison volleyball is trending upward and we are confident that the exuberance and proficiency Carter displayed throughout the interview process will translate to even greater successes for Denison volleyball into the future,” noted Carney-DeBord. “I would like to thank the members of the hiring committee for conducting such a professional and thorough search. I speak for everyone at Denison in welcoming Carter into the Big Red Family.”

“I am extremely excited and honored to be the next head volleyball coach at Denison,” said Cassell. “Being on campus, I immediately felt a strong sense of community and support. I am thrilled about the vision for the department and I believe my vision for the volleyball program will mesh seamlessly.”

Cassell joined the coaching staff at Kenyon in 2014 along with new head coaching hire, Amanda Krampf. The new staff was charged with rebuilding the Kenyon program and Cassell was heavily involved in all aspects from planning practices, organizing the team’s strength and conditioning to scouting and recruiting. In year’s two and three, Kenyon posted consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1989-90. This year, Kenyon finished 18-12 placing third in the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season standings. Outside hitter Delaney Swanson was named to the All-NCAC first-team and two players earned honorable mention.

In addition to his assistant coaching duties at Kenyon, he also served in various game management roles and was a building manager for the Kenyon Athletic Center.

Cassell is a 2014 graduate of The Ohio State University where he received a B.S. in education while majoring in sport industry and minoring in business. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in coaching and athletics administration from Concordia University Irvine.

After a standout prep career which saw him be named the 2010 Ohio Boys Volleyball Player of the Year and a second-team American Volleyball Coaches Association High School All-American. In 2011, Cassell attended Lewis University where he was a member of their NCAA Division I men’s volleyball team. He transferred to Ohio State the following year and was a member of the Buckeyes’ nationally-ranked club volleyball team. In 2013 he was named the Big Ten Men’s Volleyball Association Player of the Year.

“Denison student-athletes receive a transformative liberal arts education while competing at a high level in the sport they love,” continued Cassell. “I could tell right away that the student-athletes in this program are dedicated and hard working. I am tremendously grateful to be asked to join the Denison community and I am excited to get to work shaping the future of Denison volleyball.”

Cassell is the seventh head volleyball coach at Denison. He takes over the reins from Graves who went 26-31 in her two seasons with the Big Red.