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Nicole Cirillo, a former four-year collegiate volleyball letterwinner, serves on head coach Chris Willis' staff as an assistant coach with the Missouri Southern women's volleyball squad. She's in her third year with the Lions. Cirillo, formerly Nicole Shoger, who played the 2002 and 2003 seasons at the University of Central Arkansas, assists the MSSU team in a variety of areas, including working directly with the Lions' middle blockers. Before joining the MSSU staff, Cirillo had already gathered some coaching experience. She gave private volleyball lessons in Conway, Ark. to 14- and 15-year-old players with an emphasis on middle blocking and setting. She also was head coach for 14-year-old girls on the Conway Volleyball Club in 2004. Cirillo previously served as head coach for 16-year-old girls on the Southwest Illinois Volleyball Club in Belleville, Ill. A native of Edwardsville, Ill., Cirillo was first-team all-conference and all-metro player at Edwardsville High School, earning player of the year honors on the all-area team and leading EHS to regional and sectional championships. She was an honorable mention All-America and a first-team all-region selection at Southwestern Illinois College, where she played the first two years of her collegiate career before transferring to UCA. At Central Arkansas, Cirillo played in 173 games and logged 409 kills, 125 blocks (27 solo) and 62 service aces. In 2003, she helped the Sugar Bears to their first Gulf South Conference Tournament appearance since 1998. Cirillo, a team captain, was also named to the GSC Academic Honor Roll. Cirillo earned her bachelor's degree in management information systems from UCA in 2004.
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