Northwestern University Athletics
Karen Milborn Joins Wildcats as Assistant Volleyball Coach
3/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
March 14, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Keylor Chan has announced the addition of Karen Milborn as an assistant coach with the Wildcat volleyball program. Milborn joins Northwestern after spending the past two seasons as the director of volleyball operations at Wisconsin.
A native of Crystal Lake, Ill., Milborn will assist in all aspects of the Wildcats' program, including on-court instruction and the coordination of camps.
"I am so happy to be back in the Chicago area," Milborn said. "I am looking forward to working with such a great coaching staff and team. Northwestern's academic reputation and its commitment to athletics make this such an exciting opportunity for me."
A four-year letterwinner in volleyball at Michigan Tech University from 1998-2001, Milborn set career and season records for digs for the Huskies. She was a three-time second-team all-conference selection and earned academic all-conference honors three times.
Milborn was named a team co-captain as a junior and was the team MVP as a sophomore. Following the completion of her eligibility, Milborn served as a student assistant coach with the Huskies in 2002 before earning her bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering.
Milborn spent three seasons as the head volleyball coach at Chassell Township High School in Michigan, earning 2002 conference co-coach of the year honors.
At Wisconsin, Milborn directed and managed five camps with more than 1,000 participants, 40 employees and five sites.
She is a seasoned clinician with strong club ties, having served as the youth development director with Wisconsin Power Volleyball and as club director at the Fusion Volleyball Academy in Crystal Lake, Ill. With Wisconsin Power Volleyball in 2004, Milborn led the 18 White team to its first Junior Olympic Nationals, preparing all 10 players for careers in collegiate volleyball.
"Karen is going to be an integral part of our program, and we are so happy to have her at Northwestern," Chan said. "She is an experienced coach at the high school and club levels, and has proven herself to be a quality manager on and off the court. She has gained strong knowledge of the Big Ten and already is an asset to Northwestern."
Milborn joins assistant coach Christie Landry as the newest additions to the Wildcat volleyball program. The pair comes to Northwestern after the departure of assistants Ryan Theis and Jenny Manz, who will be married in May and recently took coaching positions with Manz's alma mater, Florida.
