Talladega College announced on February 9 it has named Lashaunda Spurgeon as its women’s volleyball head coach. Spurgeon, who previously served as head women’s volleyball coach at Dillard University, has nine years of coaching and recruiting experience at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) levels. She was named Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) Coach of the Year in Spring 2021, and boasts a career record of 81-55 and an overall record of 59-20 at Dillard University.
Under her leadership the team earned numerous accolades and awards, including 2021 GCAC Regular Season Champions (8-0), 2022 GCAC Regular Season Champions (12-0) and 2022 GCAC Tournament Runner-up.
In 2021 she produced seven All-GCAC first team selections, five second team selections, an Honorable Mention All-GCAC honoree, a GCAC Setter of the Year, two GCAC Attackers of the Year, two GCAC Defenders of the Year, GCAC Freshman of the Year, and GCAC Player of the Year.
Spurgeon’s other awards include two Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) All-Louisiana volleyball team selections, a Southeast All-Region first team 2022 selection, two Southeast All-Region Honorable Mentions (2021 and 2022), a 2021 NAIA Scholar Team recipient, nine Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athletes, five Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars and 26 Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll honorees. “Head Coach Spurgeon brings to Talladega College an impressive skill set and a proven ability to successfully recruit, evaluate, motivate and train high caliber student-athletes,” said Talladega College Vice President and Athletic Director Michael Grant.
“She is a results-driven coach dedicated to building focused, high-achieving teams through goal-oriented training and mentorship. In addition, she has established a consistent track record for promoting ethical conduct and academic success in student-athletes.”
Prior to joining Dillard University, Spurgeon served as assistant volleyball coach at Fayetteville State University. She assisted the program in achieving a 19-7 overall record and a 16-1 conference record, winning the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference Championship and qualifying for the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament.
A student-athlete she recruited was named CIAA Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Spurgeon assisted in producing three All-CIAA first team selections, one second team selection, one CIAA Rookie of the Year and one CIAA tournament MVP. Prior to Fayetteville State University, she coached at Vernon College, an NJCAA Division I program. In her first year as head coach, she brought 10 plus players to add to a returning roster of three. The team finished the regular season 16-13 5-4 in conference play, qualifying for the region tournament and placing 4th overall. Spurgeon earned a Master of Science in sports administration from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor of Science in physical education from Stillman College. She was a 4-year athlete on both the women’s volleyball team and the track and field team.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
