NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Yale head coach Erin Appleman, who has led Yale to 10 Ivy League titles and over 300 career victories, has been inducted into the Connecticut Women's Volleyball Hall of Fame.
Appleman, the 2018 Ivy League Coach of the Year and 2004 AVCA Regional Coach of the Year, owns a career overall mark of 304-117 with a .722 winning percentage. During her time at Yale, the Bulldogs have the best conference record -- a 190-46 mark. Simply put, Appleman created a winning tradition at Yale.
Earlier this season won her 300th match at Yale in 2019 and recently completed her 17th season at the helm of the Bulldogs. Appleman was honored at the Aqua Turf in Southington, Conn., and joined by family, friends and colleagues to celebrate her induction.
In addition, Appleman has guided the Bulldogs to:
- A record-setting five straight Ivy titles (2010-2014)
- Seven NCAA Tournament appearances, and
- Two NCAA Tournament match victories -- and became the first coach in conference history to win a tournament match.
- 72 All-Ivy selections
- Six Ivy League Player of the Year selections
- Seven Ivy League Rookie of the Year selections
- Two Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year selections
Appleman has also brought increased visibility to the sport of women's volleyball at Yale. The Bulldogs under Appleman have competed against – and hosted – powerhouses such as Penn State, USC, Stanford, Minnesota, UCLA, California, and Florida.
In 2004, the Bulldogs hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in 2004. A sold-out John J. Lee Amphitheater watched the Bulldogs defeat Albany, 3-1, for the Ivy League's first NCAA Tournament victory, before being eliminated by 2004 NCAA Finalist Minnesota in the second round.
Prior to Yale, Appleman spent eight years as an assistant coach at Penn State. During her tenure, the Nittany Lions reached the NCAA Final Four five times (1993-94, 1997-99) and won five Big Ten championships. In addition, she served as an assistant coach for the USA Junior and Youth National Team from 1994-94. Prior to Penn State, Appleman served as an assistant coach at Cal State-Northridge and the University of San Diego.
Appleman is a 1990 graduate of San Diego State, where she served as volleyball captain and was voted the team's Most Valuable Player in 1989. Despite playing just two seasons for the Aztecs, she currently sits fourth on the university's all-time list with 3,144 career assists. Before transferring to San Diego State, she competed for two years at United States International University. In addition, she was a member of the Asics Tiger volleyball club for six years and was selected as MVP at USAV Junior Nationals in 1985, when her team won the title.
