CHANGES FOR SAGE'S WOMEN'S AND MEN'S VOLLEYBALL PROGRAMS: VERHAYDEN STEPS DOWN; AUGSTEIN-COLLINS RETURNS AS WOMEN'S COACH
Albany, NY—The Sage Colleges' department of athletics has announced the resignation of Robert Verhayden as women's and men's volleyball teams to pursue other activities. Sage's Director of Athletics and former head women's volleyball coach Sandy Augstein-Collins will return in her role as women's volleyball coach, while also remaining Director of Athletics. Sage will conduct a national search for a men's volleyball coach.
Augstein-Collins remarked about Verhayden, "We wish to thank Bob for his outstanding service to the department of athletics over the last few years." She added, "Bob helped our teams with his skills and knowledge of the game and helped our program's evolve as we moved to our new conference this past year. We will miss his passion for the game and hope that he enjoys retirement to it's fullest."
He first joined the department in 2015 as an assistant men's volleyball coach and served in that role for two years before being named head men's volleyball coach in 2017. He also served as the men's golf coach for one season as well in his time at Sage. In his first campaign as Sage's head men's volleyball coach, he guided the Gators back to the Skyline Conference Tournament. Sage hosted the program's first Skyline Conference Tournament match and the Gators tallied a win to advance to the league's semifinals. For his efforts, Verhayden was honored by his peers with a selection as the 2016 Skyline Conference Men's Volleyball Coach of the Year. This past season, both the Sage women's and men's volleyball teams competed as a member of the Empire 8 Conference, while the men's team also participated as a member of the United Volleyball Conference and Verhayden helped to produce the Empire 8 and UVC Men's Rookie of the Year in Scott Sanders.
Augstein-Collins stepped away from coaching last summer with her selection as the Director of Athletics in the summer of 2017. In her six years with the Gator women's volleyball team, she led her volleyball team to three regular-season conference titles and a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2014. In 2015, Augstein-Collins celebrated her 100 career Sage victory and the team won its third consecutive regular-season Skyline Conference title after collecting to regular-season crowns in 2013 and 2014.
In 2014, Augstein-Collins notched her 300th career victory and led the Gators to its first Skyline Conference Championship since 2008 and a return trip to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament. Augstein-Collins was named the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year in 2012, a first for the 1987 Russell Sage alumna, who returned to her alma mater to lead the women's volleyball program. Her 2012 team exceeded all pre-season expectations as the league' coaches picked her team to finish fifth in the race for the league title. The Gators proceeded to finish second in the regular-season with an 8-1 record in Skyline Conference play. The team went 20-13 overall and collected a spot in the 2012 Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro Division III Volleyball Tournament as well, after advancing to the Skyline Conference semifinals.