Wyatt Bollinger will take over the reins for men’s volleyball, replacing Jeff Phillips as head coach. Phillips will remain on as head coach for the women’s volleyball team. The move was announced by the athletic department on April 23, less than a week after The Record published a story covering Phillips departure from the men’s team. 

Phillips joined Goshen College in 2023, and coached both the men’s and women’s teams for two years before stepping back from the men’s side this spring. 

Bollinger transferred to GC for his senior year, and holds the single season record for assists per set. Last year, he was the associate head coach under Phillips, who was the director of volleyball. 

“I’m really happy to be here,” Bollinger said, “it feels kind of like a natural progression.”

“I had kind of started looking for other coaching opportunities, hoping to take over another team for next season. I’m very grateful that I get to do that here instead.”

According to Chad Coleman, interim athletic director, the move from Phillips was in part facilitated by the knowledge that Bollinger was able to step up. 

Colemans said that Phillips “highly recommended [Bollinger], and wrote a letter [of recommendation].”

“Given where we were in previous searches, it felt like why would we let this opportunity that we felt like we have been preparing for for two years already go?” said Coleman. “It’s just kind of the perfect storm.”

Coleman also said that men’s volleyball was able to be filled quicker than men’s basketball because the athletic department wants the new athletic director to be involved in the process. 

“We would expect to get a hundred applications for [men’s basketball] versus other sports with far less applications,” Coleman said. “There’s just a lot of demand in basketball … we want to get it right.”

“It’s still in flux,” Coleman said of the men’s basketball position, “hopefully, in the next thirty days, it comes into focus.”

President Stoltzfus, head of the search committee for the athletic director position, said “We’ve had strong interest in the position and the process is progressing.”