Sioux Center, Iowa — Dordt University has announced Chad Hanson has resigned his position as women’s volleyball coach effective immediately.
“Coach Hanson has been a mainstay at Dordt University for the past decade. His volleyball teams have competed at an elite level during that span, while also achieving high marks in the classroom and exemplifying the Defender Way. Chad’s leadership across campus and in the community is notable, and we look forward to him guiding the men’s volleyball program into the future. We feel it is prudent for each volleyball team to have their own respective head coach going forward and believe the student-athlete experience will be advanced as a result of this adjustment. Coach Hanson’s impact on the women’s volleyball program has been significant. What the women’s volleyball program has achieved under Coach Hanson’s watch is nothing short of incredible. We now look forward to Coach Hanson solely devoting his time to the men’s volleyball program,” said Dordt director of athletics Ross Douma.
Hanson has coached the Defenders since 2011 and recently completed the 2021 season with the Defenders earning the program’s 16th berth in the NAIA National Championship field. He’s guided Dordt into the National Championship field in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 and posted a 236-96 match record at Dordt. He was named the GPAC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2018 and was the NAIA National Coach of the Year in 2017. Hanson has coached five CoSIDA Academic All-Americans; 11 NAIA All-Americans; 23 All-GPAC First-Team honorees and 60 NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
“When then-Provost Erik Hoekstra offered me this coaching position, I told him I had seen many different levels of volleyball coaching in my career and my desire to be a head coach at Dordt was driven by my desire to speak openly about my faith in Jesus Christ while encouraging others to live out that same faith through the volleyball sphere we would share. Eleven years later that aim has still been the same. I have been blessed to feel and know the support of everyone around me, specifically my family, athletes and the institution. This has been a dream job for me and I am forever grateful for President Erik Hoekstra being willing to hire me 11 years ago. I look forward with anticipation to shifting my full focus into coaching the men’s program and will be a continued fan of the Dordt University women’s volleyball program. Dordt is a special place and these Defender women are wonderful ambassadors of the Defender Way,” said Hanson.
A search for Dordt’s next women’s volleyball coach will begin immediately.
