Paul MacDonald, 37, is entering his fifth year as the head coach for the Francis Marion University women's volleyball program.
He owns an 122-107 career coaching mark in seven seasons, including a 73-58 record in his four years at Francis Marion. In four seasons, his Patriot teams have produced six All-Conference selections.
This past year, the Patriots finished with an 11-20 record. Three Patriots were named to the Peach Belt Conference Volleyball All-Academic Team, and the squad earned an AVCA Team Academic Award -- only one of three PBC schools to gain that honor.
In 2008, MacDonald earned PBC "Coach of the Year" honors while guiding the Patriots to a 23-9 record and the program's third-ever NCAA Division II National Tournament invitation. FMU placed second during the PBC regular-season and advanced to the title match of the PBC Tournament.
In 2007, FMU was 13-21 and placed fourth during the Peach Belt regular season. In a very successful first campaign (2006), MacDonald guided the Patriots to a 26-8 record and a share of the Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship.
MacDonald came to FMU from Mount Mercy College, an NAIA school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In three seasons directing the Mustang program, he compiled a 49-49 record, including a 25-11 mark in 2005 - the team's best record in more than a decade. Utilizing a roster that did not include any seniors, he also guided Mount Mercy to a second-place finish in the Midwest Classic Conference with a 6-1 record and to a spot in the NAIA Region VII Tournament for the first time since 2002. For that effort, he received conference "Coach of the Year" honors.
A native of Flat Rock, Mich., a suburb of Detroit, MacDonald earned a B.A. degree in business from Michigan State University and an M.Ed. degree in physical education from Wayne State University. He earned CAP I certification through the USA Volleyball Coaches' Accreditation Program in 2007.
Prior to accepting the position at Mount Mercy, he was an assistant coach at Division II Wayne State for the 2002 season, an assistant coach at Macomb County Community College for the 2001 campaign, and was an assistant and interim head coach during the 1999 season at Division I Oakland University.
MacDonald spent five years (2004-2008) with the USA National Olympic Development Program. He has five years of experience coaching at the high school level - including winning a district championship at Regina High School in Harper Woods, Mich. - and seven years of experience coaching at the Junior Olympics and club level. His Junior Olympic squads placed first in the state of Michigan in 1998 and third in 2002.
He is a member of the United States Volleyball Association and the American Volleyball Coaches Association. He has worked camps at the universities of Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin; Michigan State University; Purdue University; Eastern Michigan University; Mount Mercy; and at high schools in Michigan. He was a coach for the 2006 USA High Performance A2 Camp in Charlotte, N.C., the 2007 USA High Performance A2 Camp in Davidson, N.C., and the 2008 USA High Performance A2 Camp in Baltimore, Md.
He now directs the FMU Patriot Volleyball Summer Camp programs and the Florence Juniors Volleyball Club.
MacDonald is the 13th head coach in the 37-year history of the Francis Marion program. The program boasts a .559 winning percentage (713-563 all-time record).
Samantha "Sam" Sasan of Foothill Ranch, Calif., is entering her first season on the Patriot bench as an assistant coach.
Her primary coaching responsibilities will include recruiting, on-court coaching, individual player workouts, pre- and post-season workouts, and helping in the area of academic support for team members.
Sasan was the starting setter for Charleston Southern University for four seasons (2006-10), after which she earned a B.A. degree in communications (minor in religion). She ended her playing career as the Buccaneers’ all-time leader in games played and ranked second in career assists and career service aces and was fourth in career digs.
She is a product of El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif. As a senior, she was named her team’s most valuable player, was captain of her squad, and garnered second-team All-League recognition. She ranked 13th in California for assists, while helping El Toro to a Top 8 state-wide showing.
For the past three years, Sasan has served as a coach with the Charleston Junior Volleyball Club, including heading the 15-year-old squad in 2010.
