INDIANA, PA – Aline dos Santos has been named the sixth head coach in the history of the IUP women's volleyball program. She comes to the Crimson Hawks from the University of Akron, where she was the top assistant for the past five seasons.

“We are very pleased to have someone of Coach dos Santos' caliber lead our volleyball program,” said IUP Director of Athletics Dr. Frank Condino. “Her coaching and playing experience at Division I compiled with her intense passion for the game should provide a quality experience for our student-athletes.”

“I want to thank Dr. Condino, Samantha Goettman, and the entire search committee for their time and dedication throughout this process,” said dos Santos. “I am extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to lead the IUP volleyball program.

“I am thrilled to be joining a group of people who share the same passion and enthusiasm as I do for helping student-athletes achieve their potential in the classroom, on the court, and as a part of their communities. Together, we will reestablish a tradition of success for the women's volleyball team.”

During her time in Akron she helped lead the Zips to four Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament appearances, the biggest single season turn around in 2012, which included the program's first winning season since 2003 with a 16-13 overall record.

Dos Santos was in charge of all recruiting aspects for the Zips, including identifying prospects and conducting all official and unofficial visits. The Division I program in Northeast Ohio featured 13 student-athletes from six different states on its 2012 roster, including Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, California and Nebraska. All seven players who signed on to play for the Zips this fall were selected to the Under Armour High School All-American watch list.

She was also responsible for opponent scouting and assisted in team and individual training, working closely with setters and outside hitters.

Prior to Akron dos Santos served as a graduate assistant at Central Michigan University for two seasons. She helped the Chippewas to the biggest turnaround season in MAC history and seventh-best in NCAA history in 2006 as they posted a record of 17-13, a 12.5-game reversal from the previous year. The improvement continued in 2007 as the Chips notched their first 20-win season (22-10) in 22 years and second winning season in the MAC (10-6) since 1996.

Dos Santos enjoyed a brief, record-setting career as a player at Marist College prior to joining the CMU staff. The two-year letterwinner, whose career was cut short due to an injury, left the school with a host of records including three career and four single-season milestones. She served as a student assistant coach her final two years.

As of 2007, her two-year totals of 708 kills and 2,039 attacks both rank fifth in Marist's career records and she is seventh in career digs with 550. She also set the team's single-season mark for kills (436) and attacks (1,231) during her sophomore season. She was named to the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Academic team as a sophomore and was elected team captain prior to her sophomore and junior seasons.

Dos Santos served as a teaching assistant in 2005-06 at Staples High School in New York. She was also the varsity assistant coach of the boys' and girls' volleyball teams and led the boys to the 2006 FCIAC and state championship title.

In the 2009 off season, along with former assistant coach Cass Dixon, Dos Santos coached the Open Level of Girls 16's and under and led her team to the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic Championships where they finished 25th in the country.

The Sao Paulo, Brazil native graduated from Marist in 2005 with a bachelor of arts degree in communication. She was named to the Dean's List all four years and earned the Marist College President's Academic Achievement Award in 2005. In 2008, Aline (pronounced Uh-leen-ee) graduated from Central Michigan University with a master's in sport administration.