By Holly Weber, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Head coach Dave Zelenock and the Tennessee Tech volleyball team is pleased to announce the addition of two new assistants to the Tennessee Tech family: Kyle Gamble and Sherisa Livingston.
"I'm excited to join the staff," Gamble said. "Dave has put together a great staff and I am excited to be a part of a great university and team. I am also looking forward to continue getting experience coaching at the Division I level."
Gamble has been out of the coaching game for a couple of years, however, is hungry to get back into the action and help develop the Golden Eagle program. Most recently, Gamble was an assistant coach at the University of Tulsa from 2011-2014. He served as a recruiting coordinator for the team, dealing with video exchange, scheduling, running practices, and reporting stats. Prior to that, Gamble served as a volleyball student assistant at his alma mater McNeese State University from 2010-2011.
"Kyle is an interesting one because technically I've known him since I was 13," head coach Dave Zelenock said. "His dad is a head coach in our conference and has been coaching collegiately for a long time. Kyle was a huge part of Tulsa being in the Top 25. He's been away from the game for a little while now, but he's ready to get back in it and we were very happy to give him that chance. Hopefully he can bring some of that mid-major magic to Tech."
Livingston joins the Purple and Gold after a stint as the head coach at the University of Antelope Valley from 2015-2016.
"I am super excited to join the Tennessee Tech family," Livingston said. "I didn't want to go to a program that was already established because I wanted the opportunity to add my mark to the program. There is so much potential here at Tech. After talking with the players and coaches, it is really comforting to know that I have a place and a voice here."
Prior to Antelope Valley, Livingston served as an assistant coach at Seattle University and a volunteer assistant coach at the Univeristy of Nebraska-Lincoln. She also played professionally for various clubs worldwide from 2002-2013, after her four-year career as an athlete at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Livingston had a stellar collegiate career. She helped the Badgers win two Big Ten Conference titles with four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2000 NCAA championship match. A three-time All-Big Ten and four-time AVCA All-Region selection, Livingston became the first Badger to earn First Team All-America recognition, which she accomplished twice. She graduated from Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history along with the Badger career records in kills (1,912) and hitting percentage (.361).
Livingston was inducted into the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. She was a member of the U.S. Junior National team in 1998 and 1999, including being named the best blocker at the 1999 World Junior Championships.
"Sherisa is a huge steal for us," Zelenock said. "She was an All-American at Wisconsin and then played professionally all over Europe for 10 years. After that, she coached in Nebraska and became an NAIA head coach. But you know, head coaching just isn't for everyone. She felt more comfortable in an assistant role and we were very happy to let her come back to her comfort zone of being an assistant. I think both of our assistants could be head coaches, so to be able to bring two people like that in, I think we are on a really good path."
