Kozon added to volleyball coaching staff

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - After putting together one of the best careers in Blue Raider history, former Sun Belt Player of the Year Izabela Kozon was named assistant coach for the Middle Tennessee volleyball team on Tuesday.

Kozon will be replacing former assistant Amy Hendrichovsky, who was appointed head coach at South Alabama in December.

"We had a strong pool of applicants, but when Amy's job came open, the first person we thought about was Izabela," head coach Matt Peck said. "She's probably the most decorated player we've had, and she was very dependable. She knows exactly how we train and what we expect out of the team. We think she's a great fit and will be an outstanding assistant for us."

"It's hard to explain how happy I am, but it feels like I'm back at home," Kozon said. "I've seen how both professional and college teams and coaches work, and I think this will definitely help me as I start my coaching career."

Kozon, who just finished playing for Volley Köniz in the Swiss professional ranks, was a three-time All-Sun Belt selection as a player and earned All-America honors her senior year, helping lead the Blue Raiders to both the Sun Belt regular season and tournament titles and securing the programs' fifth consecutive trip to NCAA Tournament.

The Warsaw, Poland, native was also an integral part of the 2007 Blue Raiders, the most successful volleyball team in Sun Belt history. That season, MT compiled a 35-3 record and advanced to the Penn State Regional.

"It's amazing to be back at Middle Tennessee," Kozon said. "When Matt and Jeff [Motluck] called and offered me the job, it was one of the happiest days of my life. I love being back, and I wouldn't have come back from playing professionally so quickly for any other school."

Kozon, who graduated from Middle Tennessee with a degree in psychology in 2010, will become one of just two former Blue Raider athletes employed on a Middle Tennessee coaching staff, joining head golf coach Whit Turnbow.

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