Florida Tech Names Former All-American Ashlee Crowder as Head Coach of the Panther Volleyball Team

served as assistant coach at Florida Southern since 2018

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Florida Tech Director of Athletics Jamie Joss has named Ashlee Crowder the new head coach of the Panther volleyball program.

“Ashlee connected with our scholar-athletes, coaches, staff, and administrators with her extreme passion for the game and coaching. Everyone expressed her meshing well with our campus and athletic department culture,” Joss said.

“Her experience as a three-time All-American player and success as an assistant being mentored by four of the top volleyball coaches in Division II has prepared her to recruit and inspire our scholar-athletes to succeed in our renowned academic programs and relentless pursuit of greatness.”

“Ashlee also strongly embraces serving our campus and local community and elevating the competitiveness of our volleyball program.”

Crowder comes to the Florida Tech from Florida Southern College where she has served as assistant coach of the Moccasins since February 2018.

“I am beyond grateful for the opportunity provided by Athletic Director Jamie Joss, as well as the hiring committee, to join the Florida Tech volleyball program,” said Crowder.

“I am looking forward to making a positive impact on the program and female athletes. I was blessed as a player with an incredible collegiate career, both athletically and academically, and I can only hope to help provide the same for my current and future players.”

What they are saying:

In her first season at FSC in 2018, Crowder helped guide the Mocs to a 22-11 record, including a 13-7 mark in the Sunshine State Conference, and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Included in her duties as an assistant coach at Florida Southern, Crowder served as the recruiting coordinator for the program and managed the team’s summer camp activities.

Prior to her time at Florida Southern, Crowder was the assistant volleyball coach at the University of Indianapolis from April 2016 to February 2018.

Similar to her role at FSC, Crowder served as the recruiting and summer camp coordinator at UIndy. The Greyhounds earned a record of 28-35 over her two seasons in Indianapolis.

Crowder helped coach freshman Olivia Martin, who came four digs shy of breaking the program record with most digs by a rookie in 2017. She also played a major role in the development of several key contributors, including many underclassmen like Anna Fehribach and Rachel Irbe, who led the team in kills.

Before heading to Indianapolis, Crowder spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Grand Valley State, where she helped the Lakers advance to two consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

She was on the coaching staff in 2014 when GVSU went 27-6 overall, captured the Midwest Region Championship by sweeping all three opponents, and advanced to the NCAA Final Four in Louisville, Kentucky.

Crowder has had success on the club volleyball circuit as well, leading the Michigan Volleyball Academy, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to a pair of nearly undefeated seasons in 2012-13 (15-1) and 2015-16 (13-1).

Additionally, she coached the Dead Frog Far Out Volleyball team in 2013-14, Team Indiana in 2016-17 and most recently served as Assistant Club Director of the Southern Select Volleyball Club from February 2018 to March 2020.

An outside hitter herself, Crowder had a very decorated playing career at Hillsdale College. She is Hillsdale’s career leader in kills (1,703) and her 491 kills in 2009 are the third-highest single-season total in Charger history.

Crowder was twice named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011 as well as the Daktronics Midwest Region Player of the Year in 2011.

Additionally, she was a three-time AVCA All-American, including consecutive First Team All-America honors in 2010 and 2011. In 2018, Crowder was inducted in the Hillsdale College Athletics Hall of Fame.

A 2012 graduate of Hillsdale, Crowder earned her degree in physical education. She is also currently finishing her master’s degree in special education from Grand Valley State.

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