Director of Athletics Joe Cascio has announced the hiring of Trisha Marx as Long Beach City College's new head coach of women's volleyball for the upcoming fall season.
"I am extremely happy to have Coach Marx take over our women's volleyball program," said Cascio. "She brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of academic success. The future of LBCC women's volleyball is extremely bright."
Marx comes to LBCC with coaching experience at the California community college, club, and high school levels.
From 2008-12, Marx served as head coach at nearby East Los Angeles College while most recently she has coached with Balboa Bay Volleyball Club (2012-present). She has also coached with Sports Shack Volleyball Club, Orange County Volleyball Club, Volleyball Enterprises, Inc., and Lakeport High School.
"I'm really excited for the season," said Marx. "When I saw the job was open, I knew it would be a great opportunity. These past few days have been a whirlwind for me. I'm excited to step into a program with so much support and so many people willing to help out."
Prior to coaching, Marx was a four-year standout (2003-06) in volleyball at UC Irvine and three times named to the Big West Scholar Athlete team. Marx was a prep standout at Lakeport High School in Northern California and twice earned all-county honors.
She earned her bachelor's degree in sociology with minors in education and digital arts at UCI and went on to earn a master's degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific University.
"I'm very pleased to have Trisha join the coaching staff at LBCC," said Connie Sears, Dean of Student Services and Athletics. "Her emphasis on academic success, as well as success on the volleyball court, are closely in line with the goals of the college. We look forward to a great season ahead of us."
Despite having just a month and a half until the start of the fall season, Marx is ready for the challenge.
"I'm really happy with the student-athletes and staff we have in place," said Marx. "I think we can pose a strong threat to a lot of teams in the South Coast Conference this season. It would be fabulous to make the playoffs this first year."
Marx resides in Laguna Nigel with her husband Josh and daughter Sofia.
She replaces Suzie Witmer, who left LBCC after eight seasons as head coach.
"I want to thank Suzie for the tremendous job she did, not only at the college, but in the community," Sears said. "We wish her and her family good luck in the future."
Marx will look to improve on the Vikings' 2013 season that saw the squad compile an 11-12 overall record. LBCC finished fourth in the conference with an 8-6 mark.
Long Beach is scheduled to open the 2014 season on August 29 at the Cerritos College Scrimmage Tournament. Match-play officially gets underway on September 5 when LBCC hosts a quad tournament against San Diego Mesa (12 pm) and Chaffey (3 pm) colleges.