West Virginia volleyball coach Veronica Hammersmith announced her retirement last week ending a 35-year career.
Hammersmith's retirement is effective June 30, 2011, but she will not coach the Mountaineers the season beginning Aug. 28.
WVU athletic director Oliver Luck would not confirm who made the final decision on the retirement.
"It was the right time," Luck said.
West Virginia is currently conducting a national search for a new head coach. Luck said he has contacted more than 20 currently employed volleyball coaches at other programs to gauge interest for the position.
"We've gotten good responses from quality coaches in this part of the country and some west of the Mississippi," Luck said.
Luck expects to have a group of finalists for the job by the middle of next week. He would like to have a coach in place by preseason practices, which begin Aug. 10.
Hammersmith's assistant coaches Bakeer Ganes and Ashley Pappas will remain on staff for the time being, Luck said.
"Whoever is brought in will be encouraged to keep them," Luck said. "We feel we have quality assistant coaches who know our players well."
Hammersmith, Ganes and Pappas were unavailable for comment.
Despite the absence of Hammersmith for the 2010 season, the team remains optimistic they can improve.
"I know we've been working hard," said senior middle hitter Lauren Evans, who added the team had a meeting prior to Hammersmith's retirement which she called a wake-up call. "We are just over how we've been playing."
Luck met with the team's returning seniors last week, informing them of Hammersmith's retirement.
"The girls are excited and pumped up," Luck said. "They are still looking forward to the season. There is a real palpable sense of optimism."
Hammersmith had 17 winning seasons, 10 years with 20 wins or more, and two 30-plus win campaigns in her head coaching career.
She retires with the third-most wins by a head coach at West Virginia, amassing a 580-574 record.
However, the team has not seen a great deal of success over the last few years.
In 2006, the team achieved its lowest win total in program history, finishing the season at 3-28. After a rebound in 2007 with a 16-14 record, WVU went on to go 7-21 in 2008 in which it went winless in Big East Conference play.
Last year, the Mountaineers improved to 17-15, but failed to qualify for the Big East Tournament.
From 2000-09, the Mountaineers failed to win more than 10 games six times.
Looking forward, Luck has high hopes for the future of West Virginia's volleyball program.
"My sense is there is no reason we shouldn't be competing for a Big East championship," Luck said. "We should have an opportunity to participate in the NCAA tournament."
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