ELMHURST, Ill. – After 28 years of leading the Elmhurst University volleyball team, Head Coach Julie Hall has announced her retirement.

Hall, who also serves as the Assistant Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator for the Bluejays, came to Elmhurst in 1994 as the team was coming off an eight-win season. She posted a winning record in just her second season and led the Bluejays to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1998. She guided the Bluejays to a total of six CCIW Championships and her teams appeared in the NCAA Tournament 13 times. Hall was named the CCIW and the AVCA Division III Midwest Region Coach of the Year on four separate occasions.
 
"Over the course of the past 28 years, Coach Hall has been a valued member of the Elmhurst Community and the athletic department," said Elmhurst Interim Director of Athletics Glen Brittich. "Her accomplishments and records speak for themselves, but where Coach Hall really stood out is how she has influenced others. She has had a significant impact on our entire athletic department, but most specifically our student-athletes. She has always put the student-athletes first. Because of her passion and focus on the student-athlete's experience at Elmhurst, she has had an extremely positive impact on the lives of many of our student-athletes. She's also been a loyal friend, supporter and mentor to many of the coaches that have worked at Elmhurst and we will always be grateful for her contributions and we're going to miss having her here at Elmhurst."
 
In 2014, Hall became the first active head coach in Elmhurst history to be inducted into the Bluejay Backer Hall of Fame. She is the winningest head coach in Elmhurst history and finished with 599 victories in 28 seasons. Under her guidance, Hall's players garnered 22 AVCA All-America honors. She's also coached seven CCIW Players of the Year and her student-athletes earned 94 all-conference accolades.
 
"I have coached not for team accomplishments or victories, as sweet as they have been," said Hall. "I coached because I've enjoyed working with these student-athletes and watching the sacrifices, the hours, the sweat, the tears, the joy, the beauty of what they do every day while representing Elmhurst on their jerseys. Any individual awards or honors I may have accomplished is entirely because of our student-athletes and the memories and the smiles they bring me are priceless. I feel incredibly fortunate that I got to do a job that I love for 28 years. What an absolute blast I had!"
 
Hall believes it's her student-athletes that kept her going for so long.
 
"Our student-athletes helped keep me young," she said. "And it's not the game that will be seared in my memories of them. It's the accomplishments, the laughter, the travel experiences that they had here, the amazing careers they have developed , the families they have been raising and the old stories of 'remember when' that they tell as if it was yesterday and it may have been 20 years ago. I have been blessed with some amazing talent but mostly I have been blessed with amazing people who have gone out in this world and made a difference.  I am so proud of not only the product we produced on the floor but the people that have made Elmhurst volleyball so great on and off the court. The accomplishments of our alums and what this current group of players will eventually contribute is what made it all worth it."

Hall was also quick to point out that her assistant coaches over the years also deserve a lot of the credit for the Bluejays' success.
 
"I have been so blessed with amazing assistants over the years that have put their heart and soul into this program as well," said Hall. "In particular, there was a trio that stayed with me for 10 years and what we accomplished had a lot to do with Lindsay [Johnson], Kevin [Bazan] and Marco [Quintina|. When you find good people that love this game and then match it with the passion and care they showed the teams we had, that's a tough combo to beat.  Any of them would come early and stay late to make sure our players got what they needed. Those folks you hang onto as long as you can, and I got lucky to have them for so long. We have a group now that shows that same passion and I know our team has appreciated that support. I don't know what I would have done without the years of service from so many."
 
Prior to coming to Elmhurst, Hall served for 13 years at Piqua (Ohio) High School as head girls' volleyball coach and physical education instructor. A member of the Piqua Hall of Fame (the first female inductee ever), she was a five-time District Coach of the Year and received the Ohio High School Coaches Association's Achievement Award twice. Her Piqua High teams compiled a record of 248-80 (.756 winning percentage) and won six league championships, advanced to six district championship games, made four regional appearances, and played in the 1992 and 1993 state title games.
 
A national search for Hall's replacement will begin shortly. The new coach will inherit a team that posted a 16-13 overall record and placed second in the CCIW in 2021. Hall believes that the new coach will be walking into a great situation.
 
"One of the reasons I decided this is the perfect time to step aside is this amazing group of talent and the team chemistry associated with them," said Hall. "Someone is going to be an incredibly fortunate coach when they see the talent and then get to know how connected this current team is.  The freshmen are among the best Elmhurst has had in years and the sophomores that are just starting to take the court after missing most of last season due to COVID, stepped up and carried us as if they were seniors. There are only two juniors, but their hearts, drive and ambitions are focused to help lead this group and keep them as one. So, while the end was bittersweet, I am thankful it carried with it some great accomplishments and uplifting moments from this season. The 2021 team is the epitome of what we are all about here and somehow have embodied all the great players and personalities before them. They are the most embracing, thoughtful, hardworking, fun-loving group I have ever had the pleasure of coaching and have added the exclamation point to why I have done this for so long. I can't thank them enough and not sure they even realize what they have meant to me."