Eckerd Tabs Michelle Piantadosi as New Volleyball Coach
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The Eckerd College athletics department has announced the hiring of Michelle Piantadosi as the volleyball program’s new head coach.
Piantadosi will become Eckerd’s 10th head coach in the program’s 30-year history, effectively taking over the Tritons from Courtney Draper, who accepted a similar position at the University of South Florida.
Piantadosi, previously the assistant volleyball coach at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, will also assume the title of Senior Woman Administrator as the newest member of Eckerd’s coaching staff.
“Michelle is an incredible person and a dynamic leader,” said Dr. Bob Fortosis, Eckerd Director of Athletics. “She has great energy, infectious enthusiasm and an endless capacity to push her student-athletes. She proved over the course of the interview process that she fits Eckerd perfectly.”
Originally a native of Boca Raton, Piantadosi completed her first year as an assistant for ETSU last fall. She helped coach the Bucs to a 15-16 overall record while competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Piantadosi is familiar with the Sunshine State Conference, coaching at league member Nova Southeastern University for four years beginning in 2006. In 2008, the Sharks reached the “Elite 8” and captured the NCAA South Region crown for the first time in school history.
Her coaching accomplishments at NSU landed recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) as ‘one of the 30 best coaches in the country under the age of 30.’
Piantadosi arrived at Nova Southeastern after a standout four-year career at the University of Tennessee, where she was a two-year captain.
During her time with the Lady Vols, she was a four-year starter and earned Honorable Mention All-American honors after her senior season, while also being selected to the USA Volleyball A2 Team.
Following her career at Tennessee, Piantadosi competed professionally in Salzburg, Austria and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since 2008, Piantadosi’s most recent professional endeavors were found in beach volleyball playing in several AVP tournaments all over the nation.
Piantadosi earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology from Tennessee and a Master’s Degree in Athletic Administration from Nova Southeastern.
