Meet the new Lakers volleyball coaches

Nipissing University is pleased to announce some familiar faces will be coaching the Lakers men’s and women’s volleyball teams in the 2013-14 season. Marc Larochelle will coach the women’s team and Eric Yung will coach the men’s team.Both Larochelle and Yung coached their respective teams last season as well.  The university, however, has made the volleyball coaching jobs full-time positions.  It’s a move that will serve the teams well in the highly competitive Ontario University Athletics circuit, where full-time coaches are the norm.  In the past at Nipissing, the volleyball coaches were paid an honorarium.
“I’m really happy that we have two very high calibre coaches who understand the commitment, on and off the court that being a high-level student-athlete entails.  There is no doubt that Marc and Eric will help our student-athletes achieve to their fullest potential,” said Vito Castiglione, director of athletics at Nipissing.  “As we begin competition in the OUA, it was imperative to have full-time coaches for our volleyball program.  This gives them much greater ability in recruiting players to build the programs.”
As coach of the women’s team since the 2005-06 season, Larochelle has guided the Lakers to an impressive 121-19 regular season record. The Lady Lakers have reached the Ontario Colleges Athletics Association (OCAA) championship finals seven out of the past eight seasons and have medalled at the provincial championships for eight consecutive years, winning the OCAA championship in 2007.  He was named the Ontario College Athletic Association and the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2006-2007.
Yung took over the clipboard as the coach of the Lakers men’s team for the 2010-11 season.  He has guided his teams to a 41-13 regular season record.  In his second year as coach, the team captured a silver medal in the provincial championships held at Nipissing University.  The next season, Yung’s third as head coach, saw the team achieve soaring heights, winning the Canadian Colleges Athletics Association National Championships.  Yung is also a graduate of Nipissing, a five-year dual-sport athlete in both OUA soccer and OCAA volleyball at Nipissing, was a three-time OCAA all-star and was named Nipissing's athlete of the year in 2005-06 and 2006-07.
“I’d like to thank the hiring committee and Nipissing University for the opportunity to lead the women's volleyball program,” said Larochelle. “We have a terrific program here and it’s going to be an exciting experience to transition to the OUA. We will need to build on our past success and become a consistent contender in the OUA.”
“After the success the team enjoyed last year, winning the National Championships, I am extremely excited to be returning behind the bench as the head coach of the men’s program,” said Yung.  “We’ve got a great team and we are all excited to face new competition in the OUA.  I thank the hiring committee and the university for believing in me and my abilities to lead the program.”