June 28, 2010

EL PASO - UTEP head coach Ken Murphy has announced the addition of Julie Allen as an assistant coach to the Miners' volleyball program.

"We are very fortunate to have someone of Julie's caliber join our staff," Murphy said. "She is an experienced coach and recruiter and she brings a lot of positive energy to our staff.

"Julie fits us perfectly in the gym.  She has a lot of experience training setters but also understands our teaching methods and the systems that we are using.  She makes our program stronger and I know she will be an important part of our growth in the coming years."

Allen's main responsibilities will include working with the setters, scouting and assisting with recruiting.

The Sebastopol, Calif., native joins the UTEP volleyball staff after a two-year stint at Arkansas State. While at Arkansas State, Allen helped direct the Red Wolves to back-to-back winning seasons, 22-11 in 2009 and 21-12 in 2008.

Prior to Arkansas State, Allen spent two years as an assistant coach at Georgetown where she handled scouting, offseason recruiting and team development. She began her collegiate coaching career at Chico State where she assisted the with recruiting, travel and summer camps while leading the men's club team to a fifth-place finish at the national tournament.

Allen received her Bachelors degree in Education with a concentration in social studies from the University of Portland where she was a four-year setter for the Pilots. She ranks fifth all-time in Pilots' history in career assists with 2,042.

Following graduation, Allen served as head coach at Tualatin High School and brings club experience after working with the Empire Volleyball Club in Santa Rosa, Calif.