The Duke Blue Devils have added Fred Chao to their women’s volleyball staff as an assistant coach. He spent the past two seasons as an assistant with Virginia Tech.
“We’re elated to have Fred Chao join our coaching staff,” said Duke head coach Jolene Nagel. “His extensive coaching resume along with his experience in both the men’s and women’s games made him the most unique and attractive candidate for the position. Fred has the knowledge and the communication skills to help our student-athletes prepare at the highest level both physically and mentally.”
Chao served as the head coach of the George Mason men’s team from 1998-2015 and simultaneously served as an assistant with the George Mason women’s team. With the men’s program, Chao was thrice named the EIVA Coach of the Year, recording a 246-204 record.
Prior to his time at George Mason, he was the head coach at UMBC from 1997-1998.
The hiring amounts effectively to a swap of assistants between Duke and Virginia Tech this off-season. Earlier this year, former Duke associate head coach John Waslelewski was named an assistant at Virginia Tech.
From the official press release, courtesy Duke Athletics:
In addition to his abundant collegiate coaching experience, Chao has worked diligently with youth teams and camps at the local, national and international levels. He coached some of the top boys’ players in the nation at the 2002 USA Volleyball Development Camp and was as an assistant coach with the 2005 USA Junior Men’s National Team, traveling to India for the World Championships. Chao also directed the USA Boys Development Camp and was the head coach of the USA Boys and USA Girls Youth A2 Programs.
A Silver Spring, Md., native, Chao received his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in physiological psychology from George Mason in 1994. He completed his master’s degree in educational psychology with a concentration in learning, cognition and motivation at Mason in 2014. Chao played collegiate volleyball at Pepperdine University before completing his career at George Mason.
Chao’s wife Dana, daughter Keira and son Kylar also join the Duke family along with the Blue Devils’ newest assistant coach.
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