Rensselaer's Randi Raff heads to Northern Kentucky

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky (WLFI) - Northern Kentucky University volleyball coach Liz Hart announced Wednesday morning the hiring of Randi Raff as a assistant coach for the 2012 season.

Raff was brought on to replace April Hall, who left the Norse after one season to become the head coach at Western Illinois.  Raff will help usher the NKU volleyball team into its inaugural season as a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference.

“We are very excited to have Randi our staff and assist us with the transition to the Atlantic Sun Conference,” said Hart, who enters her third season leading the Norse.  “Randi brings a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and experiences that will be important in our transition.”

Raff comes to NKU after spending the last two seasons at Division III Christopher Newport University as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.  Raff helped lead the Captains to back-to-back 38-win seasons, including a national runner-up finish in 2011.  As the main trainer for the Captains' defense, Raff helped improve the team's blocking from 1.4 blocks per set in 2009 to 2.1 blocks per set in 2011.

Raff was honored with the American Volleyball Coaches Association's “30 Under 30” Award, which recognizes young up-and-coming coaches among all NCAA divisions in both men's and women's volleyball.

Prior to her time at CNU, Raff served as an assistant coach for two seasons at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Raff, a native of Rensselaer, Ind., earned her bachelor's degree at the University of Southern Indiana, where she also played four seasons of volleyball and helped the Screaming Eagles to two Great Lakes Valley Conference championships.  Raff continued her education at Purdue University, earning a master's degree in health and kinesiology while serving as a graduate assistant strength coach to the Purdue volleyball, women's golf, diving and cheer teams.

The NKU volleyball team will open its 2012 season at the Western Carolina Tournament on Aug. 24-25.