Mackenzie Long begins her second season as assistant coach of the Miner volleyball team.
Long arrived to S&T in June 2018 after serving as a coaching staff member of the High Performance STL Volleyball Club in St. Louis, Mo., since 2015. Long served as an assistant coach from 2015-17 before being promoted to head coach prior to the start of the 2017-18 season as she would go on to lead her Illinois High Performance 18 Elite team to a third-place national tournament finish.
“Mackenzie is a tremendous role model for our student-athletes and her pedigree as both a player and a coach will be an asset we build a championship level program,” said S&T head coach Halaz. “Mackenzie’s training style aligns extremely well with our system at S&T and her personality, organization, and attention to detail will continue to foster growth in all areas of our program.”
“I’m excited to have Mackenzie join our program,” said S&T Director of Athletics Mark Mullin. “I’m confident her experience and enthusiasm will positively impact our volleyball program, as well as our department, the campus, and area community. We’re anxious to welcome her to our Miner family.”
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Long played collegiate women’s volleyball at NCAA Division I Saint Louis (Mo.) University (SLU) for four seasons (2014-18) under head coach Kent Miller and was a four-year starter. The SLU libero was selected to the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament All-Championship Team in back-to-back seasons (2016-17). She was also recognized twice (Sept. 26 and Oct. 17) as the Atlantic 10’s Conference Defensive Player of the Week in the 2016 campaign and concluded her Billiken career ranking among the program’s top 20 career leaders in service aces and digs.
“I want to thank Andy (Halaz) along with Director of Athletics Mark Mullin, and the search committee for giving me this opportunity,” said Long. “I’m excited to be working with Andy and to learn from him. I can’t wait to starting working with the team and get this (2018) season going.”
Long, a native of Walworth, Wis., earned a bachelor’s degree in sports business from Saint Louis University in 2018.
A two-time (2012-13) all-state honorable mention honoree at Big Foot High School (BFHS) in Walworth, Wis., Long also achieved Rock Valley Conference (RVC) Player of the Year accolades two seasons (2012-13) in a row. The two-time (2013-14) team Most Valuable Player claimed all-conference first-team laurels in each of her final three (2012-14) prep seasons after attaining honorable mention all-league kudos as a freshman in the 2011 season. A 2014 BFHS graduate, Long was a two-time (2010-11) girls’ basketball letter winner and a National Honor Society (NHS) member for three years (2012-14). She also competed for Club Fusion and helped lead her club team, which was comprised of 16 and 17-year old girls, to consecutive (2011-12 and 2012-13) AAU national championships
Long, who’s the daughter of Jim and Teri Long of Walworth, Wis., enjoys hiking, camping, hunting, and all outdoor activities.
