Idell To Return As Eureka Volleyball Head Coach

Eureka College interim volleyball head coach Becca Idell has been promoted to serve the program as head coach on a permanent basis, EC Director of Athletics Steve Thompson announced Monday. Idell directed the Red Devils to their best record since 2009 as interim head coach last fall.

Becca Idell

The Red Devils went 12-16 last fall, a nine-win increase from 2015 and the program's best record since posting a 12-22 mark in 2009. The .429 win percentage last season was Eureka's best effort since the Red Devils put up a 13-17 (.433) mark in 2007.

Additionally, Idell led the Red Devils to a 7-11 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record in 2016. The seven SLIAC wins were Eureka's most since 2009 and the seventh-place league finish was Eureka's highest since 2012.

"I am so thankful for this opportunity to lead the volleyball program at Eureka College and build on our recent success," Idell said. "Our team is excited to work hard this spring and put ourselves in a position to earn victories in this era of the program."

EC accomplished a handful of other milestones in Idell's first season, including its first season series sweep of Principia since 2009 and its first win over Monmouth since 2000, snapping a streak of 14 consecutive defeats in the series with the Fighting Scots.

"We're happy to promote Becca to direct our volleyball program on a permanent basis," Thompson said. "Our volleyball student-athletes are excited and motivated to continue building on the momentum we established on the court and in the classroom last fall."

Idell is a 2013 graduate of Eureka College and was a four-year letterwinner for the Red Devils as a defensive specialist. She appeared in 101 matches for the Red Devils from 2009 through 2012, totaling 653 digs. Her 2009 EC squad advanced to the SLIAC Tournament semifinals.

Prior to her appointment at Eureka in 2016, Idell coached for two seasons at University High School in Normal, Ill. She also boasts three years of coaching at the club level, directing squads for the Bloomington, Ill.-based Illini Elite Volleyball Club.

Eureka is eligible to return 14 letterwinners from last season, including its entire starting lineup.

STORY COURTESY OF EUREKA COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION