Klingsporn Joins Panther Volleyball Program As Assistant Coach
All-American setter added to staff
Story link - http://www.uwmpanthers.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/032812aab.html
MILWAUKEE - Nikki Klingsporn has been hired as an assistant volleyball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, head coach Susie Johnson announced today.
Klingsporn comes to Milwaukee after serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Marquette, where she was also an honorable mention All-American as a player.
"Nikki will be a great addition to our staff," Johnson said. "She had a great playing career at Marquette, working really hard and enjoying a lot of success. She comes from a coaching background and truly understands what it's like to be a coach. Both of her parents are really good coaches - her dad in basketball and her mom was a volleyball coach for many years. I am really excited that she truly does understand coaching and she will help us out a lot."
Klingsporn, a Minnesota native, started her collegiate playing career at the University of Wisconsin before transferring to Marquette. At MU, Klingsporn was a two-time All-Big East honoree as a setter and was named an honorable mention All-American as a senior. She was also a team captain in each of her two seasons with the Golden Eagles while earning academic all-league honors in all four seasons she played collegiate volleyball.
After finishing her collegiate career, Klingsporn played for the Volleyball Club Wiesbaden in Germany, helping the team to a seventh-place finish in the Deutsche Volleyball Liga. Then, she returned to Marquette this past fall, helping the Golden Eagles to their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth and a win in the first round of the postseason.
"She helped train their setter, did a lot of editing work and just did a wide variety of things to help the staff," Johnson said. "She is well-prepared to take the next step in her coaching career, and her background as a setter will be very helpful. When you are trained as a setter, you really have to learn all parts of the game because of the nature of the position. Typically setters make pretty good coaches because they have to understand all aspects of the game. You are also counted on to be a team leader, and those are all things that will help make Nikki a successful coach."
Klingsporn replaces Evan Berg, who left last month to take a full-time job with the Wisconsin Juniors Volleyball Club.
