At the Net Special Edition: 2024 AVCA Two-Year College Success Stories
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, VA – The official newsletter of the American Volleyball Coaches Association released "At The Net Special Edition" highlighting 2024 AVCA two-year college success stories. Richard Bland Head Volleyball Coach, Stephanie Champine, was recognized for her success as a student-athlete and a head coach at the junior college level.
Stephanie's volleyball career started at Owens Community College where she broke every record her freshman year. Known as "Champ," she earend accolades such as All-Region, Region Player of the Year, and was an All-American both years. Her jersey is also retired, and she was the first female athlete inducted into the Owens Hall of Fame. She went on to compete at the NCAA Division I level at Austin Peay State University where she earned team Most Valuable Player honors in 2008 and 2009, and was also a team captain.
In her first official year coaching in the NJCAA (2020), she took her new team to finish 9th in the Nation with an overall record of 18-3. In 2021 she helped lead Terra State to a 6th place finish with an overall record of 36-5. In spring of 2022 she moved to Virginia to coach at Richard Bland College (NJCAA D2) and has brought this program up to a top contender status in a flash.
In her first season at Richard Bland, Champine led the team to a 34-3 overall record, including an undefeated 12-0 conference season. She garnered Region 10 Coach of the Year honors, NJCAA Division II National Championship Coach of the Tournament, NJCAA Division II Coach of the Year, and AVCA Region Coach of the Year, while leading the team to a National Championship title for the first time in program history. This was also a first for the Region 10 Conference. Stephanie secured her 100th coaching win in the title game. The Champine and Dryden, husband and wife duo, also produced three NJCAA All-Americans in Karagyn Durco, Sarah Heath, and Hailey Hopkins. Durco was also named MVP of Region 10, NJCAA Tournament MVP, and NJCAA Division II Player of the Year. Following the completion of the indoor season, Champine and Dryden lead the beach volleyball program to a 21-8 overall and 12-0 conference record, closing the season at the inaugural NJCAA Beach Volleyball National Tournament, and earning a 5th place finish. Six student-athletes from the volleyball program graduated and moved on to NCAA Division I and II colleges.
For more information about the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), please follow the link: https://www.avca.org/about-avca/ and www.rbcathletics.com for Richard Bland specific information.