After eight successful years as head coach of the Muhlenberg volleyball program, Alexa Keckler resigned in early February to take the head coaching position at Lehigh University.
Over the course of her eight years at Muhlenberg, Keckler guided the Mules to success both in the Centennial Conference and regionally. After leaving a successful mark at Gettysburg College, Keckler took a Muhlenberg program that was 6-21 in her first year to new heights. This included six winning seasons and four Centennial Conference playoff appearances, including a 24-6 record and a trip to the Centennial Conference playoffs with a roster that did not contain a single senior just this past season.
As Keckler leaves to coach nearby Lehigh, a Division 1 Program, Muhlenberg hired Amanda Krampf, a decorated player under Keckler at Gettysburg from 2006-2009, as well as a successful coach both at the graduate assistant level at Centennial Conference foe McDaniel College and as a head coach at Kenyon College for the past four seasons.
I want to make sure that I am making the transition as quickly as possible. – Amanda Krampf
Similar to Keckler, Krampf inherited a Kenyon program that was struggling to a program that produced several winning seasons during her tenure. Despite coaching away from the Centennial Conference, Krampf was aware of the recent success of the Muhlenberg Program in the competitive Centennial Conference.
“I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to work at Muhlenberg,” said Krampf. “Having played for Alexa when she was at Gettysburg, I have had the opportunity to watch the growth and development of the program. I am excited to come in and work with the current players towards the goal of winning the conference tournament.”
Coming back to the Centennial Conference is quite meaningful for Krampf as she states, “It is really exciting to be able to be coaching back in the Centennial Conference. This is the conference that I played in & got my coaching career started in so it means a lot to be back.”
Even though the official announcement of Krampf’s hiring came on Mar. 12, Krampf has already met the players as well as some of the other coaches during her interview and her first few days in Allentown. Although Krampf inherits a successful and talented Muhlenberg team and has had excellent success as a head coach there are still challenges in front of her.
“I think the biggest challenges will be learning a new institution, learning about the current players on the team and how to best coach them, and finding the right recruits for Muhlenberg as soon as possible,” said Krampf.
With a successful 2017 season behind them, the Muhlenberg Volleyball team looks to continue their success with Krampf now at the helm and focused on making a smooth transition.
“I want to make sure that I am making the transition as quickly as possible,” said Krampf, “so that we can keep the momentum from the Fall as we head into our Spring season this week.”
