NEW HAVEN, Conn.  –  As the Yale volleyball team prepares for the 2023 fall season, head coach Erin Appleman enters her 20th year in New Haven as the program's winningest coach with a chance to add to the long list of extraordinary accomplishments on her watch. 

If 2022 is any indication, the program is still ascending.  

Appleman led the program last season to its 11th Ivy League title during her tenure in New Haven. At one point, the team won 17 consecutive matches - the second-longest streak in the nation at the time.    
Last fall, Appleman surpassed the 200-win mark in Ivy League play and stands at 213-54 against conference opponents with a .798 winning percentage. Since 2016, Yale is 67-16 against Ivy League foes. 

Simply put, Appleman is one of the most successful coaches in Ivy League history in any sport and is still going strong. 

"Erin's done an incredible job creating a winning culture for Yale Volleyball," said Victoria M. "Vicky" Chun, Thomas A. Beckett Director of Athletics. "It is no surprise that the Yale volleyball program has seen a high level of success over the last 20 years" 

Appleman took over in 2003 and promptly established a formula for success. It didn't take long for the Bulldogs to make history. 

Yale captured the 2004 Ivy League championship and hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. Yale knocked off Albany in the first round to post the first NCAA victory by an Ivy League school.

Yale associate head coach Kevin Laseau, who joined the staff in 2004 and has worked with the program ever since, recalled the standard that Appleman set during the that year.

"I remember when we won a five-set match to clinch a share of the regular season title, and Erin was disappointed we didn't play better in such a big moment," Laseau said. "It's that kind of expectation that has continued for the next 18 years and has constantly pushed the team to always get better."

With a career mark of 343-127 at Yale, Appleman's accolades continue to grow. As a two-time Ivy League Coach of the Year, Appleman's teams have finished conference play in first or second place in 17 of the last 19 seasons.   

In addition, the Bulldogs have put together several notable streaks in Appleman's tenure. Yale won an Ivy record five-straight championships from 2010 to 2014 and reached a league-record 23 straight Ivy victories during the 2013 season after a 14-0 undefeated conference campaign in 2012.

"I'm continually impressed with Erin's ability to pivot," said Mary Berdo, Yale's Deputy Director of Athletics, who oversees the volleyball program and was a standout basketball player at Iowa.  "She trusts her system but also knows she must be nimble to build on a roster's strengths each season. There is always a target on the team's back, but Erin consistently has the student-athletes and staff well prepared and ready for whatever comes their way in a given season. Erin is simply a winner." 

In 2022, the Bulldogs surpassed the 20-win mark for the fifth time in New Haven. No other Ivy program has accomplished this feat more than twice in that same time period.  

The Yale volleyball program has also prided itself on player development. And the post-season awards prove it.

Under Appleman, the Bulldogs have won six Ivy League Player of the Year awards, including the first three-time winner (Kendall Polan '14). In addition, six Bulldogs have won Ivy League Rookie of the Year.  

Since 2003, Yale volleyball has also been recognized with nearly 80 All-Ivy selections with 38 First Team honorees.  Last year, the Bulldogs had five All-Ivy selections – marking the eighth time in Appleman's tenure that many team members were honored by the conference in a single season.  
"We're always challenging players to make accomplishments, and then move on to a new goal," Laseau added. "Each year when players return, Erin challenges them to make some kind of marked improvement in their game. There's no resting on what you did before. That was great, but what's next."

Kate Swanson, team captain of the 2018 team, said Appleman works hard to understand the needs of her student-athletes.

"I think Erin works hard to keep a pulse on the team and does a great job," said Swanson, who was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year twice.  "She knows that her team is not just a group of players but women who are experiencing college for the first time. When you come in as a first-year she makes sure that you know how to find a writing tutor, encourages you to go to office hours, and experience your residential college. When we had long travel weekends she would give us Monday practice off to properly recover. She reminds the team (especially the CA and FL girls) that a winter coat is necessary. She cares deeply and it makes her an excellent coach."

Carly Diehl, who earned All-Ivy First Team honors as a sophomore last season for the Bulldogs, said Appleman also coaches with the bigger picture in mind.  

"The Yale volleyball program is so special because of the balance Erin creates for her athletes," said Diehl, who earned All-Ivy First Team honors as a sophomore last season.  "When we are in volleyball mode it is both competitive and fun, intense yet purposeful. She builds respect from her athletes on the court, and off the court she allows us and encourages us to find balance. She wants us to leave Yale as well-rounded people, not just athletes, which as a player makes me excited to get into the gym because I have the space to explore other interests outside of it."

Yale's success under Appleman hasn't been limited to the court. The Bulldogs have excelled in the classroom as well. 

They have won an AVCA Academic Team Award in 16 straight seasons, had 25 Academic All-Ivy selections, and 10 Academic All-District honorees (including four in 2022). In addition, Maya Midzik '16 was a Rhodes Scholar finalist.

"Yale Volleyball has continued to thrive under Erin's leadership," exclaimed Chun. "She continually sets a high bar of excellence for herself, her staff and student-athletes and it shows on the court, in the classroom and post graduate success. We are beyond grateful to have her as our head coach."

Appleman by the Numbers:

• 343 overall wins (most in program history)
• 213 Ivy League wins
• 78 All-Ivy selections
• 38 All-Ivy First Team selections  
• 25 Academic All-Ivy selections
• .798 winning percentage in Ivy League 
• 11 Ivy League titles 
• 8 NCAA appearances
• 23 wins in 2022 (highest program total since 1996)