Former Ithaca assistant Derryk Williams joined the Colgate Volleyball program as an assistant coach in April 2016.
Williams finished his first season as Colgate's assistant coach with a 18-11 overall record. The 2016 Raiders earned a 13-3 Patriot League record, good for a second place finish in the regular season. Williams helped Colgate appear in the Patriot League Championship, where the team fell to American in four sets.
Williams works primarily with the team’s middle blockers while assisting in all day-to-day aspects of the program. He is also involved in the team’s advance scouting due to his extensive background with video editing.
Williams joined the Raiders after two seasons working with the women’s volleyball program at Ithaca. He served as the assistant coach for the 2015 campaign after spending the previous season as a student assistant. Williams also stepped in as interim head coach for six matches during the 2015 season while head coach Janet Donovan took a temporary leave of absence.
"We are very excited to have Derryk join our program,” Baker said. “He is driven, hard working, and passionate. I've interacted with him for the past two years while he worked at Ithaca and I knew he would be the right fit for the players and coaches. Derry's background as a middle blocker is a valuable asset to us. He will take that position to a new level."
During his time with the Bombers, Williams helped the program to a 56-16 overall record, highlighted by a 13-3 mark in Empire 8 Conference action. In 2015, Ithaca captured the Empire 8 tournament crown for the first time since 2010 and advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling to regional host Clarkson. The 2014 team finished with 25 wins and won the ECAC Metro/Upstate Championship.
Overseeing the blocking, hitting and serving aspects of the Ithaca program, Williams was instrumental in the individual development of the Bombers lineup.
Middle hitter Katie Evans was named Empire 8 Conference, AVCA New York Region and ECAC Metro/Upstate Rookie of the Year after ranking among the nation's best in hitting percentage during the 2015 season with a .357 attack clip. Outside hitter Joelle Goldstein was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, AVCA New York Region and a First-Team All-Empire 8 selection after a 2015 season that saw her lead Ithaca in points, points per set and kills.
“I am extremely honored and excited to be a part of the Colgate staff,” Williams said. “It is a pleasure to be working with a team that is extremely competitive both in the classroom and on the court. Ryan and Kristin Baker have built an incredible program here and I can't wait to help the continuation of its growth."
A four-year member of the men’s club volleyball program at Ithaca, Williams also spent two seasons as a member of the Bombers Men’s Tennis squad.
A native of Lansdale, Pa., Williams graduated from Ithaca in 2015 with a Bachelors of Science in Television/Radio and a minor in coaching.
