Aug. 25, 2008
ATLANTA – Kele Eveland, the only first-team AVCA All-American in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference, has returned to her alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2008 season, Georgia Tech head volleyball coach Bond Shymansky announced Monday.
“Having Kele back in our program in exciting,” Shymansky said. “This is a great opportunity for our student-athletes to have a role model that lived and shared their exact same experience. She knows what it is like to face the challenges of ACC play and Georgia Tech academics. Most importantly, Kele knows the sacrifices that it takes to be a leader and ultimately a winner. Kele has an electric personality and will be a joy to have in our program once again.”
Eveland remains as one of the most decorated female student-athletes in school history and returns after spending the last four years playing professionally in Granada, Spain.
She will assist the staff of Shymansky, associate head coach Ben Bodipo-Memba and assistant coach Jennifer Carey with all aspects of coaching and is expected to provide valuable insight on the offense after serving as Shymansky’s setter his first four years at Georgia Tech.
A four-year starter from 2000-03, Eveland finished her playing career ranked fourth in the NCAA record books with 6,464 assists. The 2003 ACC Player of the Year, 2000 Rookie of the Year and three-time all-ACC honoree averaged 13.38 assists per game and still ranks in the top-10 in Tech’s career record books in digs and block assists. She also holds the school record, and three of the top seven marks in Yellow Jacket history, for assists in a season.
Eveland was honored as the recipient of the Georgia Tech Total Person Award in 2004, an honor that recognizes the top Yellow Jacket student-athlete of the year. She also earned Academic All-America accolades her senior season and was a recipient of the NCAA and ACC Postgraduate Scholarships.
Eveland became the first – and only – female in Georgia Tech history to have her jersey retired when the school did so in a pre-match ceremony at O’Keefe Gym Sept. 9, 2005.
Eveland earned her degree in management from Georgia Tech in 2004.
