FAIRFAX, Va. - After spending the past two season on the sidelines with
the Patriots men's volleyball program, Dustin Wood has joined the George Mason
women's volleyball staff as an assistant coach.
"We're very excited Dustin is joining us," said head women's
volleyball coach Pat Kendrick, who this month begins her 27th season
at the helm of the program. "He brings a great deal of experience, and will be
a big factor in the team's success."
Wood was an assistant coach for the Patriots the past season under head men's coach Fred Chao. He was instrumental in leading the
team to the EIVA Semifinals and garnering a number of All-EIVA
selections for Mason players. Additionally, this past summer Wood served as the head coach of the USA Select Continental team. That squad took the bronze medal at the USA High Performance Championships in Tucson, Ariz.
Wood came to Fairfax after spending a decade at East
Stroudsburg University. First as a player, then as an assistant coach, associate
head coach and finally head coach. Wood spent five seasons running the program
before the university eliminated the program prior to the 2010 season.
Wood's arrival in East Stroudsburg came after spending a
redshirt season at Ohio State. He then embarked on a four-year playing career
at East Stroudsburg as an outside hitter. He was a three-time captain while
leading the team in kills all three of those seasons. He finished his time in
college by earning a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 2003. He
immediate begin working as a coach at East Stroudsburg, serving as both an
assistant coach with the women's team and the associate head coach of the men's
team. He moved up to head coach in 2005.
The East Petersburg, Pa. native's involvement with
volleyball didn't end on the collegiate level as he started the East
Stroudsburg Area South High School volleyball program, serving as the team's
head coach its first season. He also runs his own volleyball camps in
Wilkes-Barre, Pa. and has been involved in camps at Penn State and Navy as well
as the USA High Performance Camps. He also has put his degree to good use as he
spent six years teaching third grade at Resica Elementary in East Stroudsburg.
Wood currently resides in Reston, Va. with his English Bulldog, Brutus.
