Great Lakes hires Melvin Balogh to coach women's volleyball

LANSING, Mich. - Great Lakes Christian College is announcing today the hiring Melvin Balogh as its new full-time head coach for women's volleyball. Balogh, a GLCC graduate, returns to the program after working as head coach in the past.

Balogh has been coaching volleyball since 1999, when he coached club and high school volleyball in DeWitt. Over the past two decades, he has coached at several NAIA, NCAA and NJCAA programs, including Great Lakes. He spent one season as an assistant at NCAA DI McNeese State before being head coach of Peru State College in Nebraska and his most recent position was at NJCAA Clarendon College in Texas, where he has been since 2014.

"I believe in what I have called the 'Complete Collegiate Athlete,'" Balogh says. "It is a combination of all the skills that develop as a student-athlete. Growth happens academically, athletically, and personally/spiritually. I truly believe that the 'Complete Collegiate Athlete' is prepared to go and be some of the best servant-leaders the world will see."

Athletics director Richard Westerlund said that "today is a great day for GLCC volleyball. We are taking a huge step in moving this position full time, which we believe will only continue to enhance our student-athlete experience."

He added, "I want to thank (outgoing head coach) Christy (Lambright) for her time and commitment to our program. She invested so much time in building this from scratch." Westerlund also noted that Lambright's teams had achieved the highest collective GPA in the entire athletics program: 3.45.

"I believe Melvin will be able to build off of Christy's strong foundation," Westerlund continued. "He has been a proven recruiter and highly respected in the volleyball coaching community." 

Balogh has stated that his long-term goal is to complete for championships. This season, he wants to "plan to generate a culture that wants to do what it takes to be successful." and that the team needs "to get our roster to a point that we can compete and challenge each other in practice."

Balogh says that he sees the challenges of the program "as filters to help in recruiting."

"Great Lakes is an amazing place," he says, "just not an amazing place for everyone. So we find the athletes that can see that Great Lakes is the right place for them. My recruiting principles are simple: We don't talk anyone into coming and no one does us a favor by committing. Those that commit want to be here and are surrounded by teammates that also want to be here."

"I believe that your steps are blessed if your steps are to serve. Being a servant-leader was something I learned while I attended Great Lakes. Now I look forward to serving the athletes of Great Lakes and campus that instilled that discipline into my life."

Balogh graduated from GLCC in 2002, triple-majoring in Christian Ministry, Christian Theology and Interpersonal Communications. He completed his master's in Athletic Administration and Coaching from Concordia University (CA) in 2012. He is a competitive disc golf player, playing in the professional 40-and-over division, and lives with his wife Kristy and their three children.