GEORGE ANNOUNCES VOLLEYBALL STAFF CHANGES

East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State head coach Cathy George has announced two changes to the volleyball staff for the coming 2015 season. Assistant coach Mike

East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State head coach Cathy George has announced two changes to the volleyball staff for the coming 2015 season. Assistant coach Mike Gawlik has been promoted to Associate Head Coach, and 2013 Michigan State graduate and three-year captain Kristen Kelsay has been hired as an assistant coach. The staffing transitions come after the retirement of longtime Associate Head Coach Russ Carney, who was on George’s staff for 21 years at both Michigan State and Western Michigan.

"I’m really excited that we could reward Mike with this promotion, as well as bring Kristen back into our program,” said George. “I think that one of the things that has been key in our progress over the years is the stability of our coaching staff. These moves help maintain that stability. Kristen was a three-year captain, and therefore has an excellent grasp of the core values and philosophies of our program. We’ve already started to look ahead to 2015, and we’re all very excited to start working together toward our goals.”

An AVCA “Thirty under 30” Award winner in 2010, Gawlik has been an instrumental part of MSU’s success throughout the last decade. Over the last 10 seasons on the sidelines with George, he has helped guide the team into the NCAA Tournament field eight times, with three trips to the Sweet 16. Michigan State is one of just four schools in the Big Ten to finish with a .500 record or better in Conference play over the last four seasons, and owns the third-longest active NCAA Tournament streak in the Big Ten as well. Gawlik started with the program in the fall of 2005 as a volunteer assistant coach and was elevated to a full-time assistant position the following year.

“Mike has been instrumental in all phases of our program’s growth over the past 10 years,” noted George. “As our recruiting coordinator, his work has been key in landing back-to-back classes which ranked among the top seven in the country.. He’s extremely hard working, intelligent and loyal. I could not be more pleased that he has chosen to continue on with us as we guide this young and talented team in the future.”

Gawlik, a collegiate setter and libero at Pacific (2001-05), has played a large role in the development of MSU’s defensive players, including three-time captain libero Kori Moster. Moster recently finished her career with a school-record 2,217 career digs, which ranks third all-time in the Big Ten career annals. A two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, three-time All-Regional selection and two-time All-America pick, Moster was selected for the 2014 USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team which toured China back in June, and is aiming at a spot to train for the US National Team.

As the team’s recruiting coordinator, he has been instrumental in helping bring back-to-back top-seven classes to East Lansing the last two seasons. Another of Gawlik`s main areas of focus is in video and scouting, preparing reports not only of opponents, but comprehensive breakdowns of MSU's players so that they can review their performance not only in games, but also day-to-day in practice. Gawlik currently serves as the liaison between the AVCA and the assistant coaches in the Big Ten Conference, and coached at the USA Senior Women's A2 program in Dallas in the summer of 2013, which provided him an opportunity to work with some of the top talent in the United States.

A Naperville, Illinois native, Gawlik earned his undergraduate degree from Pacific in 2005, and his master's degree in athletic administration from MSU in 2011. He and his wife, Katie, reside in East Lansing.

“First and foremost, I have to thank Cathy for an opportunity to be a part of this program, and for acknowledging my contributions with this new position,” said Gawlik. “Michigan State has been a special place for me over the last 10 years. We have put in a lot of hard work, and I’m proud of what we have built during our time here. I think our future is incredibly bright with the talent and possibilities we have with our returning team. I’m really excited about getting our 2015 season underway.”

Kelsay has been working as a graduate assistant in MSU’s Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS). While pursuing her graduate degree in psychology, Kelsay has served as an academic counselor and helped oversee the department’s community outreach initiatives.

“Kristen Kelsay was a game-changer in the MSU volleyball program,” said George. “Her work ethic, intelligence and team attitude helped change the culture of our program. As a three-year captain, we discussed the vision, priorities and philosophies of our program regularly. Although Kristen is young, I believe she is one-of-a-kind and has all the intangibles necessary to be an excellent assistant coach.”

“I’m incredibly honored and humbled to be offered this opportunity with a program and a University that played such a huge role in my development and that I hold so dear to my heart,” said Kelsay. “Michigan State has provided me so much over the last four and a half years, and I am I’m excited to be a part of helping bring student-athletes into our community to show them all that Michigan State has to offer both on and off the court. We are a program which continues to grow, and I could not be more excited to start working with our team. It’s truly an amazing feeling to be able to start a new chapter with my Spartan family.”

As an undergraduate, the Wheaton, Illinois native was a four-year letterwinner for Michigan State (2010-13), and captained the Spartans for three seasons. A setter, she finished her career with 3,040 assists, good for sixth all-time in the MSU record book. She appeared in 133 career matches, which ranks eighth all-time at MSU, and her 473 career sets ranks fourth all-time. As a senior, Kelsay earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors (just the fourth player in program history to do so), and was a three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten selection. She twice was a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner, served as the Student-Athlete Advisory Council president, and was featured in the MSU President’s Report “’Inside Out,’ which followed nine Michigan State students whose lives were documented throughout the 2013 fall semester.

Michigan State advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014, downing Loyola-Marymount before falling at top-seeded Stanford last weekend. MSU graduates four seniors and returns 14 players for 2015, including three underclassmen who were recently recognized as All-Region selections.