Virginia Wesleyan Athletics has announced Karissa Cumberbatch as the new women’s volleyball coach. She has been the assistant to the program since joining in 2019. Current coach Andrea Hoover-Erbig will finish up her final season as head coach before she becomes the new Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics beginning this summer following the retirement of Joanne Renn.
Cumberbatch has coached at the club and high school levels for over 10 years. Coming into Virginia Wesleyan, she brought a plethora of knowledge in volleyball by having played at the NCAA Division I and II levels.
A native of Greeley, Colorado, Cumberbatch has had a major impact on the volleyball community. She has guided over 100 volleyball players to their goals of playing at the collegiate level. She is also the assistant director and volleyball coordinator at the Coastal Hampton Roads Sportsplex, where she has been helping young volleyball players work on their craft.
In her high school coaching years, she led the team to two straight state final matches in 2017 and 2018. She coached for over 5 years at the high school level, where she was named Regional Coach of the Year three times. She also earned District Coach of the Year three times. Cumberbatch was a member of the VHSL Coaches Advisory Committee where she held a personal and group training certification from the Athletic and Fitness Association of America.
She played volleyball at the collegiate level at the University of South Florida then transferring to Western State College of Colorado. She earned her degree in Sports and Fitness Management in her home state. Cumberbatch will begin her college head coaching career following the completion of the spring 2021 season.
By Nicholas Mundy
namundy@vwu.edu
