April 24, 2008

DAYTON, Ohio - University of Dayton head volleyball coach Kelly Sheffield added another member to his coaching staff Wednesday with the hiring of Matt Affolder as an assistant coach. Affolder previously made coaching stops at Indiana, Southern Illinois and Indiana State before coming to Dayton.

"I am glad to have Matt complete the Dayton volleyball staff," Sheffield said. "He is a tireless worker with a tremendous enthusiasm for the sport. He is a very good teacher and trainer while bringing very strong technical and tactical knowledge of the game."

Affolder spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana University from 2004-2006. While serving as recruiting coordinator and coach of the outside hitters with the Hoosiers several IU individual program records were broken including career kills, freshman single-season kill record and single-season hitting percentage.

"I would first like to thank Kelly (Sheffield) and the University of Dayton for this tremendous opportunity," Affolder said. "It has always been a goal of mine to work alongside someone with passion and determination that Kelly has shown throughout his coaching career. It has also been a selfish goal of mine to work alongside one of my very best friends."

"After meeting with members of both the UD Division of Athletics and the Flyer volleyball team and realizing the focus and support for the student-athlete that exists at UD, I can tell this is a perfect match. I am eager to arrive in Dayton and give UD everything I have in an effort to achieve unprecedented success in the classroom and on the volleyball court."

Affolder also spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Southern Illinois where he handled all aspects of recruiting while assisting with individual and team defense. The Salukis advanced to their first-ever Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Final in his initial season on campus in 2002. The team also fashioned a 23-10 overall record that stood as the team's best record in 17 years and was one win shy of the combined total of the previous three seasons (24-62). He also mentored the SIU single-season and career record holder in kills, attack attempts and digs while coaching one CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American and three MVC All-Conference selections.

"Matt has built solid relationships with the club and high school programs within the region and will be another strong recruiter on our staff," Sheffield said. "He is also very skilled at scouting as well as video and statistical analysis. I have known Matt for more than 15 years and am pleased with the kind of person and coach we are adding at Dayton."

A native of Decatur, Ind., Affolder spent three seasons as a volunteer coach at Indiana State working primarily with middle blockers and right side hitters. He trained five MVC All-Conference selections and three MVC All-Newcomer picks at ISU. The Sycamores also earned three consecutive berths to the MVC Tournament during his time in Terre Haute.

Prior to Indiana State, Affolder spent three years as the head coach at Wapahani High School in Selma, Ind., from 1996-98. He posted a 73-36 record, including three sectional titles, two regional appearances, a Class A Elite Eight appearance in 1997 and a Final Four appearance in 1998. In 1998, he was tabbed as Class A North Coach of the Year

Affolder served as an assistant varsity coach at Muncie Central High School in Muncie, Ind., from 1993-95. He also served as the head freshman coach, leading his team to a 23-1 record in two years. While at Muncie Central, the varsity squad finished an impressive 101-10 and reached the Indiana High School Athletic Association Final Four in 1995.

Additionally, Affolder served as a coach for the Munciana (Muncie) Volleyball Club for seven years (1993-99). Under his watch, the team captured the 1998 USA Volleyball National Championship for the 16 & Under Club Division. He coached two additional Munciana teams to top 10 finishes nationally and trained 10 USA Volleyball All-Americans.

During his time as a high school coach, Affolder trained 20 Indiana All-State honorees and 10 high school All-Americans.

The Decatur native graduated from Bellmont High School and is a 2002 graduate of Indiana State University with a bachelor's degree in political science. He and his wife, Nicole, have one son, Joshua. The Affolder family will relocate to the Dayton area shortly.