Penn women’s volleyball head coach Meredith Schamun resigns, takes job at University of Illinois

After five years with the Red and Blue, Meredith Schamun will not be returning as head coach for the Penn women’s volleyball team after accepting an assistant coaching job for the University of Illinois, Penn Athletics announced Monday.

Schamun’s resignation comes just days after Alyssa Bert was newly announced as an assistant coach for the program.

Schamun credited University of Illinois head coach Chris Tamas and Senior Associate Director Breanna Shamaila for her move.

“I’m honored to step into a program with a tradition of competitive success and a family atmosphere,” Schamun said. “From my first conversation with coach Tamas, I knew Illinois volleyball aligned perfectly with my goals and passion for the game. I can’t wait to hit the ground running with Chris, Jen, Eli, and the rest of the Illini FamILLy!”

Schmaun ended her time with the Quakers following a 7-7 Ivy conference record in the 2024-25 season. Under Schmaun, the Quakers were victorious against Brown 3-0, marking their first victory against Brown since 2015. Similarly, a 3-1 victory against Princeton was the first since 2019. Overall, the Quakers boasted a 13-10 conference record in 2024, a stark improvement from the 4-20 conference record from 2023. 

Before coming to Penn in March of 2020, Schamun served as assistant coach at Villanova for two seasons, where she led the Wildcats to an overall 39-23 record. Schamun helped bring the Wildcats to a second-place ranking in the Big East Conference in hitting percentage. She also coached All-Big East team member Emma Decker, who would go on to become Villanova’s all-time assist leader. 

Schamun previously also coached for Tulane University from 2015 to 2016, where she led the program to a fifth place finish in the American Athletic Conference, and directed volleyball operations at the University of Central Florida from 2014 to 2015. 

Schamun trained award-winning players during her time working for the Red and Blue. Sophomore middle blocker Adell Murray and junior outside hitter Zada Sanger both earned All-Ivy Honorable Mentions during the 2024 season. Sanger led the Quakers with 260 kills, while Murray’s .341 hitting percentage and 54 blocks led the program.  

 “We interviewed several great candidates and as the process went on, it was clear that Meredith’s experience as an assistant and head coach will help Illinois volleyball tremendously as we transition into the new era of college athletics,” Tamas said.  “She has a vast recruiting background as well as a deep knowledge of X’s and O’s of our game. Her passion and drive for coaching and developing players will add our continued success here at Illinois.”