Paula Weishoff Introduced As Next Concordia Women's Volleyball Coach
Brian Gaul
Weishoff, who led the Eagles from 2004-2008, replaced Trevor Johnson who took an assistant coaching positon at Baylor University in January of 2015, after leading the Eagles for the last two seasons. Weishoff left CUI in 2009 to become the head coach at UC Irvine, where she just completed her sixth season.
"Great programs must have great leadership, and Paula Weishoff is just that, a great leader who years ago helped Concordia establish a nationally ranked women's volleyball program in the NAIA," Concordia Executive Vice President Gary McDaniel said. "God has blessed us once again, this time Coach Weishoff has the challenge of leading Concordia's volleyball program into the ranks of NCAA II. Great leaders embrace great challenges. I have seen firsthand what this dynamic coach can accomplish. Concordia women's volleyball is in good hands!"
In her first season with UCI in 2009, Weishoff had immediate success. She led the Anteaters to a 22-8 overall record, becoming the first coach since 1977 to lead the women's volleyball program to a winning season in her first year at the helm. The Anteaters set a program record with a .733 win-loss percentage. The program had resurgence in 2014, as they went 19-12 and finished in fifth place in the Big West.
"I am excited to be back and Concordia has always had a spot in my heart," Weishoff said. "All the tools are here to succeed in NCAA DII. I love the atmosphere here and this is a great place to be, and I am really happy to be back."
Weishoff served at Concordia University from 2004-2008 where she is the winningest coach in school history, boasting a 146-33 (.816) record. She guided Concordia to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) finals twice and the semifinals on two other occasions. Weishoff was named NAIA Coach of the Year in 2008 after leading the Eagles to a 31-6 overall record and the national championship match. She led CUI to their first NAIA Tournament appearance in 2004.
"It's a very exciting day to have Paula return to Concordia to lead our women's volleyball program," Concordia Director of Athletics David Bireline said. "She built the foundations of this program, and it has only grown since then. For her to return to lead this program into the NCAA DII and PacWest Conference is a true blessing. Paula's experience and Christ-centered approach is an incredible asset for our athletic department and institution."
She coached 10 NAIA All-Americans, including 2008 first-team selections Traci Weamer and Stephanie Scheele, and 16 of her players were named to the All-GSAC team during her tenure at Concordia. She coached Raquel Ferreira, the NAIA Player of the Year, in 2004.
She was part of three NCAA Division I National Titles at USC. One as a player in 1980 and two as an assistant coach in 2002 and 2003. She started her coaching career at USC in 1997, serving as the primary recruiting coordinator for seven years before being promoted to associate head coach in 2003. Weishoff was inducted into the USC Hall of Fame in 2005.
She played overseas in Japan, Brazil and Italy, in her professional career. Weishoff was named the MVP after leading the Daiei Volleyball Club (Japan) to the 1995 pro league championship. She was a four-time MVP in Italy (1986-89) and spent 10 years playing for various teams in the Italian First (A1) Division.
The former middle blocker has been involved with USA Volleyball as a coach for more than a decade and joined the organization in 1998 as an instructor for the USA High Performance Camp. She was an assistant on the youth national team that won the silver medal at the 2000 NORCECA Youth Tournament and captured gold as an assistant with the A2 training team in Atlanta in 2003. In 2008 Weishoff led the juniors team to gold at the NORCECA Women's Junior Tournament.
Weishoff was inducted into the USA Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1998 and received the All-Time Great Player Award that same year. She was also named to the USA Volleyball 75th Anniversary All-Era (1978-2002) Team in 2003.
Weishoff, a three-time Olympian, also served two seasons as an assistant coach with the U.S. Women's National Team and helped Team USA capture a silver medal at the 2012 London Games. It was Weishoff's first appearance in the Olympics as a coach, but represented three decades of involvement with USA Volleyball.
She represented Team USA as a player at the 1984, 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, earning Most Valuable Player of the 1984 team in Los Angeles. Following a silver medal in those games, Weishoff was selected as the USOC Female Volleyball Athlete of the Year and her Olympic ambitions continued in Barcelona, Spain, where she guided Team USA to a bronze medal and was voted the MVP of the 1992 Games.
Her playing time with the national team began in 1981, winning gold at the 1981 and 1983 NORCECA Championships as well as the 1995 World Grand Prix. She also captured silver at the 1983 Pan American Games and bronze at the 1982 World Championships, 1986 Goodwill games and the 1992 FIVB Super Four.
Weishoff is a graduate of West Torrance High School in Torrance, CA, where she lettered in volleyball, track, soccer and softball. She won a silver medal in volleyball at the 1979 U.S. Olympic Festival and was named MVP at the 1980 U.S. Junior Olympics.
Weishoff returned to USC and graduated in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in humanities and a minor in business.
Weishoff and her husband, Karl Hanold, reside in Huntington Beach.
