Northwestern State head volleyball coach Sean Kiracofe has resigned from his position, it was announced on Dec. 27.
Kiracofe was the longest-tenured and the coach who amassed the most wins in Demon volleyball history, the only coach to win more than 100 matches in their career at NSU.
“I would like to thank (former NSU Director of Athletics) Mr. (Greg) Burke and (former NSU President) Dr. (Jim) Henderson for offering me the chance to lead this program,” Kiracofe said. “During my 10 years I have heard stories firsthand and through Mr. Burke about how coaches hold NSU up as one of the highlights of their careers. I wholeheartedly agree with that. Northwestern State, Natchitoches and this community are special, and this has been a wonderful place for my wife Kerri and I to raise our children.
“Thank you to all the student-athletes over the last ten seasons. I love and appreciate all of you and how you have poured yourselves into the program. You made all the difficult times more than worth it, and all of our memorable moments on and off the court are solely because of you being exceptional people. Fork ‘Em Forever.”
During his time in Natchitoches, Kiracofe also had the most seasons with a winning record in Southland Conference play in program history and made seven trips to the SLC Tournament, reaching the semifinals in both 2019 and 2022 and the quarters in 2023.
“After 10 years of dedicated service, we want to express our sincere appreciation to Coach Kiracofe for his leadership, passion and unwavering commitment to the volleyball program here at Northwestern,” Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian said. “Over the past decade, he has helped shape not only talented athletes but also strong leaders, and left an indelible mark on the program. His contributions both on and off the court have been invaluable, and we wish him nothing but success in future endeavors. He will always be a part of our Demon family.”
The Demons won 20 matches, tied for the fourth most in a single year, during the historic 2019 season that included an 11-3 record in conference play. One of the best offensive teams in NSU history, the Demons set the team record with a .224 hitting percentage for the year with more than 1,500 kills, the most in a season in 15 years.
They were led by conference player of the year Hannah Brister who set the program’s season kills record with 539, the only player to record more than 500 kills in a season at NSU. Senior Alexis Warren also became the fourth player ever to record more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career during that season.
The Demons were selected for their second ever postseason berth earning a trip to Wyoming as a part of the NIVC (National Invitational Volleyball Championship).
Kiracofe was also named the LSWA (Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association) Coach of the Year.
A specialist when it comes to developing middle blockers, Kiracofe-coached teams and players have taken over the top spots in nearly all single-season and career blocking categories.
His teams have produced the second and third highest single-season block totals. The 2022 squad was just the second team to record more than 300 blocks in a single year, with the 2023 team falling just 4.5 short of back-to-back 300 seasons.
Of the 11 total instances where an individual recorded 100 blocks in a single season at NSU, six of them occurred under Kiracofe’s tutelage, including four in the past three seasons. During her sophomore season of 2023, Reaghan Thompson broke the NSU season total blocks (164) and block per set (1.52) record and finished sixth in the NCAA in blocks per set and ninth in total blocks.
The Demons have finished first or second in the Southland in blocks per set in each of the past three seasons and led the conference in total blocks in both 2022 and 2023.
Defense on the back row was also a priority for the Demons under Kiracofe with a string of the program’s elite liberos all playing for the Demons in the past 10 seasons.
Eight of the 12 best single season dig totals at NSU have come from Kiracofe players including five of the nine total 500-dig seasons in school history.
Channing Burleson recorded back-to-back 500-dig seasons in 2016-17, Megan Lohmiller had 548 in 2019 and both Ashlyn Svoboda and Symone Wesley surpassed 500 during the 2022 season, the only teammates to do so in the same season.
Five players under Kiracofe have recorded more than 1,000 career digs with Burleson and Svoboda representing the second and third most at NSU.
Kiracofe has helped guide 10 all-conference selections during his tenure and four superlative award winners. Brister (Freshman) and Burleson (Libero) both won individual honors in 2017. Brister also earned SLC Player of the Year honors two years later as a junior and Wesley picked up newcomer of the year honors in 2021.
Assistant coach Cara MacFarland has been named interim head coach as a search to find Kiracofe’s replacement commences.
“We are committed to continued and even great success of our volleyball program,” Bostian said. “A national search is underway to find an outstanding leader that will guide us into the future.”
