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Volleyball adds Matt Sprague to coaching staff

August 5, 2014
Matt Sprague

Matt Sprague

The Northern Illinois University volleyball team has added Matt Sprague as an assistant coach, NIU head coach Ray Gooden announced Tuesday.

Sprague comes to NIU from Saint Louis, where he served as a volunteer assistant last season.

“We’re really excited to have Matt join the program,” Gooden said. “We think he has a lot of qualities that are going to help make our program continue to improve. We’re real excited about what he’s done in the past and what he is going to do in the future.”

At SLU, Sprague was a part of a staff that guided the Billikens to a 13-17 overall record and a 9-5 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference, in addition to earning the fourth seed in the A10 Tournament. The St. Louis native helped guide the team to a conference-leading .224 hitting percentage, while also assisting in scouting and recruiting for SLU.

“It means a lot to me,” Sprague said on joining the Huskies. “It was really good to join a good staff with Ray and Lynnette (Moster) and I am very excited.

“Personally, I’m excited to bring a lot of stuff from the men’s side, the more offensive side with the pinhitters and working on blocking on the defensive side. I’m hoping some of my game – the way I was taught – I can bring it over to the girls side.”

The new Huskie assistant also served as the head coach of the High Performance STL Volleyball Club’s Boys 15-2 team, guiding the group to a national qualifier win and an open bid during his tenure. Sprague also helped High Performance STL’s Girls 18-1 team to the club’s first-ever girls open bid as an assistant.

In college, Sprague was an outside hitter on Ball State’s men’s volleyball team, where he served as the team captain for two seasons and totaled 454 kills and 339 digs. He earned a bachelor of science in business administration in 2010.

For more information on NIU volleyball and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.