Ole Miss Announces McRoberts Contract Extension

Coming off one of the best seasons in school history that resulted in the Rebels claiming the NIVC Championship, Ole Miss volleyball head coach Steven McRoberts was awarded with a contract extension, Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Ross Bjork announced Thursday.
McRoberts, 83-49 in four seasons in Oxford, received a four-year extension, which is the longest allowed by the state of Mississippi.
“Coach McRoberts has done a great job of steadily building our program since he arrived at Ole Miss,” Bjork said. “His intentional approach to recruiting, coaching and developing our student-athletes has paid off with record-setting individual performances, team records and the 2017 NIVC Championship.  His teams have also competed in the classroom by having a perfect graduation success rate since he arrived.  
“The foundation for long-term success has been put in place and the next step is competing for SEC and NCAA Championships.  Combined with the investment in the brand new Gillom Athletics Performance Center, Coach McRoberts has Ole Miss Volleyball poised for many breakout performances in the years to come.  We are excited that Coach McRoberts and his family are here at Ole Miss for the long term.”
“I am so blessed to be the head volleyball coach at Ole Miss,” McRoberts said. “I want to thank Ross and Executive Associate Athletics Director Lynnette Johnson for committing to the vision of our program. Getting a contract extension is a direct reflection on how well our staff and players have done to get this program moving in the right direction. We had an exciting end to 2017, and this is just the beginning. Hotty Toddy!”
McRoberts inherited a team that in the three years prior posted a 37-51 overall record and finished at the bottom of the SEC standings. The Rebels have posted four consecutive winning seasons for the first time in three decades, won 12 regular season tournament titles, finished in the top half of the SEC, set numerous team and individual records, and players have earned All-America, All-Region and All-SEC honors.
In 2017, the Rebels equaled the most wins (22-14) in program history in the rally era and earned their first postseason win on their way to capturing the NIVC Championship. The team set single-season records for kills, assists, digs and blocks.  
Senior outside hitters Lexi Thompson and Kate Gibson became the first members of the 1000/1000 club at Ole Miss in the rally era, and Thompson set the career record for kills and aces. Gibson was one of just eight players in the nation to post at least 400 kills and 400 digs in 2017.
Sophomore outside hitter Emily Stroup had an excellent season, earning AVCA All-Region and NIVC Championship MVP honors as well as setting the single-season kills record (474). Junior libero Caroline Adams set the single-season record with 522 digs and ranked among the top 10 in the SEC in digs per set (3.90). She was named to the NIVC All-Tournament Team.
Fans did their part to help make it a record-breaking season at the newly renovated Gillom Athletics Performance Center, as a record 13,168 attended matches, including a season-high 1,012 who witnessed the NIVC Championship match against Texas Tech.
For more information on Ole Miss Volleyball, follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissVB, on Facebook at OleMissVolleyball and on Instagram at OleMissVB. Also follow Coach McRoberts on Twitter, @CoachMcRoberts.

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Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports Information