Buffalo Volleyball: Sunahara Hires Two Assistants

When Danny White fired Todd Kress, it was a sign that he really planned to back up his promise to compete for conference championships in all sports. When Reed Sunahara, the former Cincinnati coach who most recently was involved with the US Olympic Team, was hired, it showed that White was able to back it up.

This morning UB announced that Sunahara has hired two assistants to round out his staff for next fall. Both have strong Western New York ties, which will prove useful in recruiting, as the area from Buffalo to Syracuse is actually quite strong in volleyball.

Stephanie Albano won't even have to move to join the UB squad, just take a different route to work now that she's moved up from her position with Medaille College. Albano's ample experience is primarily from the WNY region, as prior to Medaille she coached a Canisius and has club coaching experience both in the Buffalo area and in North Carolina, where she stayed after her playing career with the Tar Heels. Albano is a former New York State Gatorade Player of the Year and All-American from her high school years in Lancaster.

Donald Gleason also has experience at Medaille but most recently worked as Assistant Coach for a Yale Bulldogs team that went 20-5 and made the NCAA Tournament in 2013. He was both coach and captain of the men's club volleyball team during his time at he Rochester Institute of Technology

In addition to Yale, Gleason has spent time as a volunteer assistant on the west coast with the USC Trojans. Anytime you can get a coach who has experience in the hotbed of his sport, you can't complain.

Welcome to UB, Stephanie and Don!