Evans joins Bulldog volleyball staff
Taylor Evans
Mississippi State University volleyball coach Jenny Hazelwood has announced the addition of Taylor Evans as an assistant coach on the MSU volleyball staff.
The Alamo, Calif., native will coordinate MSU's volleyball recruiting, work closely with player development and handle on-court coaching responsibilities in addition to a wide array of additional duties within the Bulldog volleyball program.
"We are very excited to welcome Taylor to the Bulldog family," said Hazelwood. "He is the perfect fit for our program and will be a great addition to our staff. His high-energy, great work ethic and his playing experience on a national championship team as a student-athlete will definitely help take the Mississippi State volleyball program to the next level."
Evans, 30, joins the MSU staff after serving the past year as an assistant coach at the University of Denver, which notched the program's first win over a ranked opponent last fall. Previous coaching experience includes a year on the staff at the University of Utah in 2010, where he helped train the 2010 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, and two seasons in a similar capacity at American University in Washington D.C., where he assisted in the Eagles' advancement to Patriot League titles and NCAA Tournament berths both seasons.
A standout athlete in both track and volleyball at Monte Vista High School in Danville, Calif., Evans continued his career in athletics at Brigham Young University. He was a four-year letter-winner (2003-2006) and two-year starter as an outside hitter, opposite, and libero on the BYU volleyball team, where he established school records for service aces and was a member of highly-successful Cougar teams that won the 2004 NCAA national championship, took national runner-up honors in 2003 and were ranked No. 1 in the nation at some point during each of his four collegiate seasons.
The new MSU assistant coach, currently assisting with Mississippi State's spring volleyball training, was the co-founder and co-director of the Utah Elite Volleyball Club. His volleyball experience also includes a stint playing professionally in Europe in 2008-09. He replaces assistant coach Branden Higa, who recently accepted a head coaching position at California Baptist University in Riverside, Calif.
Evans is married to the former Lauren Richards, and they a have a daughter, Merit Elizabeth, 2.
For additional information about Mississippi State athletics, please visit www.HailState.com.
