NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Former Yale volleyball standout and Ivy League Player of the Year Cat Dailey Minyard '10, who helped lead the program to a conference title on the court and as a coach, is returning as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs for the up-coming season.
"We're fortunate to have Cat back with our program," Yale head coach
Erin Appleman said. "She excelled as a student-athlete at Yale, went on to play professionally, and has proven to be a great coach and mentor to current players."
Minyard transferred to Yale in 2008 after two seasons at Cal-Berkley and went on to earn All-Ivy First Team honors her two years with the Bulldogs. In 2008, she was named an AVCA All-Northeast Region Honorable Mention in addition to being named unanimous league player of the year to begin a stretch of six conference titles in a seven-year stretch for the Bulldogs.
"I am thrilled and honored to be back on staff with Yale volleyball," Minyard said. "The YVB coaches have built such an incredible winning culture and continue to recruit amazing athletes and people to Yale volleyball, and I can't wait to get in the gym with them. It really is a full circle moment to coach next to my former coaches."
In 2008, Minyard led the team with a 3.73 kills per set average and led the Ivy League with a 4.24 kills per set average in conference matches. She also recorded a team-high 20 kills and 15 digs in Yale's first-round NCAA tournament win over Ohio.
In 2009, Yale went 21-4 overall and Minyard led the team in kills (299), service aces (28) and kills per set (4.04), which still ranks among the top-10 single-season averages in program history. Off the court, she also received Academic All-Ivy and ESPN Academic All-District First Team honors.
Minyard had a successful career in marketing before deciding to go overseas to get her Masters and also play professionally in Italy and the U.K. Both of her professional teams went on to win national championships.
In the summer of 2018, Minyard returned to Yale as a volunteer assistant coach. Yale went on to a 19-5 overall record, a 13-1 finish in Ivy League play and captured its 10th conference title in program history. In addition, five different Bulldogs earned Ivy League awards – including player of the year (Frances Arnautou), defensive player of the year (Kate Swanson) and rookie of the year (Ellis DeJardin).
In March 2018, Minyard founded Northeast Volleyball Club in Fairfield County, Conn., with her husband, Garrett Minyard. The club offers youth programs and clinics focused on training young athletes to develop high-level volleyball skills in a positive, professional and growth-oriented environment. She also worked for numerous volleyball clubs and camps around the U.S.
Yale opens the season on Sept. 6 at the Charleston Classic.
