14 Elite

Head Coach Mary Hansen

Coach Mary is one of the Directors of Carolina Sky.  She started playing volleyball in 9th grade at Baldwin High School in Pittsburgh, PA. She was a middle hitter on an undefeated PA state championship team. This team was subsequently inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic League Hall of Fame. Mary played collegiate volleyball at California University of Pennsylvania (California, PA) under coach Jing Pu, former Chinese National Team coach and head coach at Syracuse University. Mary was a 4-year starter and all-around player and 3-year co-captain. Her team won consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championships. Mary earned all-conference honors her sophomore through senior years. Coach Mary started coaching volleyball in 2013 as a head coach for the Beaver Valley Premier volleyball club (Aliquippa, PA). In 2017 she joined the Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball Club (www.pittsburghelitevolleyballl.com) as an assistant coach. She is currently a coach at Mid-Carolina High School. She has completed numerous coaching training programs, including USA Volleyball Coaching Accreditation Program (CAP) training, NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching training, IMPACT training, and SafeSport training. She has attended the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) annual convention regularly for the past 10 years. Coach Mary earned her PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and is a currently a Professor at the University of South Carolina (Go Gamecocks!). She loves traveling, hiking, and spending time with her two grown daughters. Coach Mary and Coach Mike live in Chapin with their two cats, and they love Lake Murray! She is excited to grow the sport of volleyball in the Chapin and Newberry, SC regions!