Aird Announces Volleyball Staff Additions
8/15/2017 10:30:00 AM | Volleyball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland volleyball head coach Steve Aird announced the addition of two members to his staff Tuesday. Kyle Thompson joins the Terps as director of operations while Steve Semler comes to Maryland as a volunteer assistant coach.
"We are very fortunate to add two very bright, hard-working, high character people to the family," Aird said. "Kyle and Steve bring a range of skills and perspectives that will immediately impact our program."
Thompson comes to Maryland after serving as a program coordinator for the University of Washington's volleyball program. While in Seattle, he assisted the Huskies with video management, travel expenses and recruiting while also assisting the softball program. Thompson graduated from Texas Lutheran in 2016 after serving for two seasons as a student assistant coach for the volleyball program. He competed for Texas Lutheran's tennis team for all four years of undergrad and was named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Academic All-American all four seasons.
"Kyle has an excellent academic pedigree and tools as an administrator," said Aird. "He comes from a very good program that I respect a great deal and was highly recommended. He will hit the ground running and will make us better from day one."
A 2012 graduate of Penn State, Semler served as a student manager during the Nittany Lions' 2008, '09 and '10 NCAA Championship-winning seasons. While a graduate student at American University of Beirut in Lebanon, he competed for the school's varsity volleyball team in numerous indoor and beach tournaments in the region and Europe. With the Terps, the Pittsburgh, Pa., native will assist in training setters and formulating scouting reports. In addition to his duties as a volunteer assistant, Semler is a legislative director for a government relations firm on Capitol Hill and is also an adviser to humanitarian organizations operating in the Middle East.
"I have known Steve for a decade and I trust him," Aird said. "He has an elite volleyball IQ and understands how I want to run my program. The staff and team know I value his feedback and I am thrilled he will be involved with our program this season."
-Maryland-
