MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University volleyball coach Reed Sunahara announced the hiring of Traci Plungas as assistant coach on Wednesday.
 
Most recently a two-year assistant at Colgate, Plungas will serve as WVU's recruiting coordinator, while assisting with the team's daily training sessions and match preparations.
 
"I'm excited to welcome Traci to our Mountaineer Volleyball Family," Sunahara, who recently finished his fifth season at the helm of the Mountaineers, said. "She is an up and coming coach that comes with high recommendations. She will bring great character to our program and mesh well with our student-athletes, staff and program goals. Traci is a big student of the game, and her passion for the sport and drive to succeed will help the WVU volleyball program continue its upward climb."
 
"I'm excited and honored to join the Mountaineers," Plungas said. "I knew from the moment I got on campus that this would be the perfect place to call home. Everyone has already been so welcoming. I also want to thank Reed and his staff for giving me this great opportunity. I can't wait to get in the gym and work with our current student-athletes, as well as help recruit the next class of the Mountaineers."
 
While at Colgate, the Mogadore, Ohio, native helped the Raiders post a 24-8 overall record in 2019, with the wins total tying the second-most in program history in the Division I era. The squad also earned the Patriot League regular-season title after recording a 15-1 mark in league action. Following a successful regular season, the Raiders advanced to the 2019 National Invitational Volleyball Championships (NIVC) Quarterfinals in postseason play.
 
Additionally, Plungas helped coach five All-Patriot League performers in her two-year tenure, including the 2019 Patriot League Player of the Year, Alli Lowe, who also landed on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention Team. Lowe became just the second player in program history to receive the recognition and the first since 1996.

Plungas arrived at Colgate after a five-year stint on the Albany volleyball staff, serving as an assistant coach from 2015-17, after a two-year stint as the team's graduate assistant. She was a four-year letterwinner for the Great Danes from 2009-13.
 
Plungas helped the Great Danes to 63 total wins and a 47-15 record in the America East Conference throughout her five years as a member of the UAlbany coaching staff. She helped UAlbany to a 2017 regular-season America East championship and a pair of tournament championship-game appearances in 2015 and 2016.
 
As a student-athlete at UAlbany, Plungas served as a six-rotation player, leading the Great Danes to a pair of America East titles in 2010 and 2011. She tallied 732 kills, 653 digs, 219 total blocks and 48 service aces in her career, earning All-America East Second Team honors as a senior.
 
Plungas graduated from UAlbany with a bachelor's degree in history and English in 2013. She later received her master's in secondary education in 2015. During that time, she spent time on the club circuit, serving as the head coach of the Legion Volleyball Club from 2010-16.

She is married to David Plungas, who is the football defensive coordinator at Robert Morris.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.