Jennifer Maxwell steps aside from the Salve Regina women's volleyball program

NEWPORT, R.I. - After completing her fifth season with the Salve Regina volleyball program and third as head coach, Jennifer Maxwell has decided to step aside from her coaching duties to concentrate her efforts as an educator in Early Intervention at Children's Friend and Service (www.cfsri.org).

Last season, she guided the Seahawks to 11 wins and a berth in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) playoffs for the fifth-consecutive season.

"The demands and responsibilities of coaching have become too much with the challenges and time requirements of my career," said Maxwell. "This was an extremely difficult decision to make, for many reasons, but largely in part because of all the people with whom I enjoyed working."

Maxwell spent two years as an assistant coach before taking the head coaching reins from Dave Moore in 2007. In her first season at the helm of the program, Maxwell guided the Seahawks to a then school-record 11 wins. For their efforts, the team received the TCCC Sportsmanship Award for volleyball. For an encore, the Seahawks produced a school-record 12 victories in Maxwell's second season.

After recording just 10 wins in their first three seasons of play, the Seahawks began to turn things around with the arrival of Maxwell and Moore in 2005. That year, the Seahawks won nine games and qualified for the TCCC Tournament for the first time in school history. The following season, the Seahawks won eight games en route to earning their second-straight playoff berth, and have seen their win total rise every year since.

A standout volleyball player at Middletown High School in Rhode Island, Maxwell earned all-state honors as a junior and senior for the Islanders.

Before coming to Salve Regina, Maxwell coached at the high school and middle school levels. She also volunteered as a coach with the Special Olympics. Maxwell spent the 2002 season as an assistant varsity and head junior varsity coach at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School in Massachusetts.

Three of Maxwell's five seasons associated with the volleyball program Salve Regina has been recognized with the league's sportsmanship award, including this past campaign.

"I'm extremely thankful to Jen for the countless hours she has invested in support of our volleyball program and university," said Seahawk director of athletics Colin Sullivan. "Her commitment to our student athletes and passion for the game will be sorely missed and I wish her well as she pursues her career in education."

Maxwell will assist with the transition to the next head coach. An announcement should be made next week.