Courtesy: Evansville Athletics
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Purple Aces head volleyball coach Manolo Concepcion has announced the hiring of Fernando Morales as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville.
Morales brings 19 years of national and international playing experience to the Purple Aces with 12 of them coming overseas. He brings extensive experience with both indoor and beach volleyball to UE.
“I am thrilled to have Fernando join our coaching staff. He brings tremendous experience to the table, being coached and trained by some of the best minds in the world of volleyball,” Concepcion said. “His charismatic and transformational leadership capabilities are above and beyond. He has always been one of those players that know how to get the best out of his teammates and people around; this is why he has been the captain of the National Team, as well as of many of his Pro League teams around the globe.”
“He knows how to relate to players and teach the game well, which are two of my favorite aspects about his addition; especially since he has had the task of leading people from different backgrounds, races, religion, language and country of origin,” Concepcion added. “I look forward to his contribution in areas like individual skill development, offensive coordination, in-game coaching, scouting report design, and recruiting.”
Morales also brings a wide range of coaching experience to the program. An assistant coach at the professional level at Changas, he has also worked in several positions at the University of Kentucky camps, Cruz Control, Specialized Position Academy and the Fernando Morales Volleyball Camp.
A National Team Captain in Puerto Rico, Morales also played professionally in his native Puerto Rico along with Spain, Austria, Cyprus, Russia, Lebanon and Greece. Professional organizations that he played for include: Playeros, Caribes, Criollos, Patriotas, Plataneros, Mets, Capitanes, PTV Malaga, HYPO VBK Klagenfurt, Hypo Tirol Inssbruck, Ajjacio, Hot Volleys, AEK Karava, Enisey Krasnoyarsk, Boucherieh, Orange and Pamvochaikos.
He was a 3-timen Pro League Champion and accumulated numerous awards in his career along with a silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Qualifiers. He also played in the 2007 World Cup, earning a 6th place finish.
“I am excited to start the new stage of my life and am even more exited to do it with Manolo,” Morales said. “I played my first years with him and now we are going to be together for my first years as a college coach. We made a great team playing and I know we will have the same success coaching.”
Team and Individual Awards
– Champion Puerto Rican League 2008, 2009-2010
– Best setter Puerto Rican League 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014
– Best Server Puerto Rican League 2008, 2010
– MVP Puerto Rican League 2008
– 1st team All-Star Puerto Rican League 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014
– Finalist Puerto Rican League 2001
– Finalist Austrian League 2007, 2009
– All Star Game Puerto Rico 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016
– 3rd Place Puerto Rican League 2006
-National Team 2001- 2014
-Competed in world league 2010
-Best Setter Pan-Am Cup 2009 Chiapas, Mexico
-Best Setter Pan-Am Cup 2007 Dominican Republic
-Silver Medal Olympic Qualifier 2008 Puerto Rico
-6th Place World Cup 2007 Japan
-Silver Medal NORCECA 2007 USA
-Silver Medal Pan-Am Cup 2007 Dominican Republic
-Pan-Am Cup 2010 Puerto Rico
-NORCECA 2009 Puerto Rico
-Pan-Am Cup 2009 Mexico
-Olympic Qualifier 2008 Portugal
-Olympic Qualifier 2008 Puerto Rico
-World Cup 2007 Japan
-NORCECA 2007 USA
-Pan-Am Games 2007 Brazil
-Pan-Am Cup 2007 Dominican Republic
-NORCECA 2005 Canada
-NORCECA 2001 Barbados
-Junior National Team 2000-2001
-Best Setter Junior NORCECA 2000 Cuba
-Silver Medal NORCECA Cuba 2000
-World Championship Qualifier 2001 Brazil
-NORCECA Cuba 2000
Beach Volleyball
-2nd place University league 2000
-2nd place University League 2004
-University league Champion 2005
-Qualified for last round of NORCECA Continental Cup 2011
-Bronze Medal 2012 NORCECA Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
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