Women’s Volleyball

2020 will be the 18^th year that head coach Richie Tang will lead a volleyball program, eight total as collegiate head coach, and his fourth season overall at Florida Gateway College.   

The 2019 team recorded significant improvements across multiple team categories including overall: Kills (851), Assists (760), Digs (1920), and Total Blocks (110).  Sophomore Jaylin Roberts finished the season ranked fourth in the region in overall kills at 231.  Freshman Kaci Law recorded 515 overall digs to finish first in all of Florida Division II volleyball play.  Freshman Karen Hill dished out 632 assists to hold third overall in the division.  Freshman Claire Roberson had 197 kills for the Timberwolves.  In the classroom, sophomores: Jaylin Roberts and Madison Brugh and freshmen: Courtney Williamson, Kaeley Kellar, Jenna Holley, Claire Roberson, and Dixie Raulerson finished the year with high academic honors.

2018 would see the timberwolves record their first victory in the newly formed “Sun-Lakes Conference,” it was the first win in conference play since 1982.  Overall, the Timberwolves finished the season with a record of 10-17.  Academically, seven players were selected to the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) All-Academic Team:  Madison Brugh, Antonette Ochipa, Jaylin Roberts, Rebekah Stone, Alexis Weeks, Madison Morrison, and Nataleigh Nieuwenhuis.  Spring 2019 would also see the program’s first four inaugural recruits graduate with their associate’s degrees.  

2017 marked the return of the FGC volleyball program since the timberwolves last took the floor in 1982 as Lake City Community College.   The Timberwolves finished with a 7 win season, while holding a winning home record inside the Howard Center.  Two players earned the right to be selected to the FCSAA All-Academic team: Tristyn Southerland and Madison Morrison.  Southerland also led the entire FCSAA region in overall digs per set in 2017.

Prior to Florida Gateway College, Coach Tang was head coach at Oglethorpe University, a NCAA Division III program in Atlanta, Georgia.  During his four years there he directed a program that recorded the most wins since the 2009 season.  That mark was one of the highest win totals for the program in 20 years.  The 2016 season was a record-setting year for the team as they earned one of the highest conference finishes in over 20 years of volleyball at the Atlanta campus.  Academics are a priority for Tang as he was able to turn-around a team that was near the bottom in overall team GPA in his first year into the top women’s academic team the very next season at Oglethorpe.  Tang has coached and developed two Southern Athletic Association (SAA) players to earn Second Team All-Conference Honors, additionally, seven players were selected for All-Conference honors in the SAA. 

Before entering collegiate coaching, Coach Tang was a club coach for Arizona Desert Sky Volleyball while also holding the position as assistant college recruiter.  During Tang’s tenure with the club, every senior class member was offered a scholarship with a college/university.  He also spent time as a high school varsity head coach in Phoenix, Arizona with stops at Thunderbird High School and Millennium High School.  At Thunderbird, he helped the Chiefs compile their most wins in over 40 seasons.  He was honored with district and regional coach of the year awards.  While coaching the Millennium Tigers, he tallied three 20-win seasons there, while consistently being ranked in the top 5 in the state and had several players recruited to play at the collegiate level.

Tang has served as an NCAA Division Three National Tournament Site Representative and as Division Three Southern Region Coach of the Year selection committee member.  He is also a certified volleyball official for the Florida Region of USA Volleyball. Coach Tang also holds a “CAP I Coaching Certification” from USA Volleyball.  Additionally, Tang created a volleyball club program in 2020, the Lake City Volleyball Academy will serve Lake City and the surrounding areas of North Florida to develop and grow volleyball play in the area.