Chattanooga State Community College announced Wednesday that it is starting a volleyball program to begin competition in the fall 2018 semester, and long-successful local high school and middle school coach Janet Tate will be in charge.
The volleyball program will be at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II level, according to the announcement release. The school's existing basketball, baseball and softball teams are NJCAA Division I.
"I am very excited about Chattanooga State's efforts to expand sports programs for women, and I am honored to be their first volleyball coach," Tate said in the release. "We are very excited to begin recruiting and getting quality players."
Tate is an area native who was captain of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball team while earning a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. She got a master's in administration, supervision and curriculum from Tennessee Tech.
She has coached at the elementary as well as middle and high school levels and has worked with softball, basketball, track, cross country and golf teams and cheerleaders. She won state softball championships at Hixson High in 1983 and 1984. In volleyball she has directed 487 wins to only 69 losses since 1997 and been coach of the year 14 times with comparable league and tournament championships.
Anyone interested in knowing about her new team can contact her at janet.tate@chattanoogastate.edu or 697-4426.