Lessinger steps down as volleyball head coach
One of the most successful coaches in the history of USF will no longer be on the sidelines for the Bulls.
Claire Lessinger will step down from her position as head coach of the USF volleyball team due to family illness. Lessingers mother was recently diagnosed with cancer.
Im extremely proud of what weve accomplished during my time at USF, Lessinger said in a press release. As much as I love the coaches,student-athletes and staff here, my family is the most important thing to me, and right now, I need to be with them.
Lessinger was the face of USF volleyball during her 13 years with the team, the final eight of which she served as the head coach. She is also well known around the nation, as she is currently the Vice President of the BIG EAST Coaches Association and Chair of the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region Committee.
After a career that saw 79 wins and four conference tournament appearances in her final five seasons, Lessinger has announced her final day will be July 15.
Our thoughts are with Claire and her family during this difficult time, USF athletic director Doug Woolard said in a press release. Well provide whatever support we can for her moving forward. Claires passion both for USF and the volleyball program have been evident and that energy will be missed.
More Stories
USF baseball sees three selected in MLB Draft
In the first year under head coach Mitch Hannahs, three Bulls pitchers were selected in the second day of the MLB Draft. Bulls pitchers Corey Braun, Bryce Archie and Austin Newton were selected in the middle rounds of the draft that stretched into Monday night. Despite being drafted, all three players will have the option […]
OPINION: USF coaches need to be more than game-day leaders
In his first year at USF, baseball head coach Mitch Hannahs brought an old-school approach to the program. He stayed off social media and had minimal interactions with fans, except during press conferences and games. And toward the end of the season, Hannahs began to decline interviews with The Oracle — both for himself and […]
USF prepares for more scholarships, revenue opportunities after NIL settlement
As universities began directly paying athletes on Tuesday as part of the House v. NCAA settlement, increased scholarships and revenue opportunities will become the norm under the landmark NIL ruling. Former USF Athletic Director Michael Kelly told The Oracle that the settlement also paves the way for another opportunity for USF to be invited to […]
USF’s Fowler Avenue ‘isn’t going anywhere’ despite NIL changes
Corey Staniscia didn’t need a court ruling to see where college sports were headed. Long before a federal judge approved the House v. NCAA settlement on June 6, Staniscia saw what was coming — a future where schools, not just collectives, could pay athletes directly. So, as the CEO and co-founder of the Fowler Avenue […]
USF support program helps international student-athletes thrive
For Mathis Haugen, a USF international student-athlete from Norway, his journey started with a leap of faith. Haugen said he planned to take a gap year after high school and then apply to college. But when USF recruited him in fall 2021, everything changed. Now a senior, the men’s soccer defender had never visited the […]
USF men’s basketball rounds up roster with latest commits
USF men’s basketball officially has a full house, finalizing its revamped roster with all 15 scholarship spots now filled. New head coach Bryan Hodgson has wasted no time building a new roster. After Hodgson was hired in March, he began his tenure by securing three high school recruits and five players out of the transfer […]