Education

MBA, Quantitative Analysis, University of Missouri
BA, Principia College

Along with coaching two College volleyball teams and serving as Associate Athletic Director, Mary Ann Sprague teaches PE and is the founder and Director of the Athletic Department's Graduate Assistant program. Sprague is a USA Volleyball CAP certified indoor and beach coach.

Mary Ann has been involved in coaching since graduating from the College. She fell in love with teaching when she taught workshops on entrepreneurship for a business consulting firm. Eventually, she realized that coaching IS teaching—in fact, it is one of her favorite parts of coaching.

Scholarly Interests

Leadership training
Using quantitative analysis to inform and direct coaches
Using sport and other experiential activities as a vehicle for character education

Contributions to Field

Sprague has coached and marketed two Principia volleyball players into professional contracts. She has also put Principia College on the map as a premier volleyball school for rural youth through team camps, individual tutoring, and her Nike Volleyball Camps.

Awards

SLIAC Coach of the Year, 2003, 2007, 2013, 2017, 2018

Memberships and Affiliations

USA Volleyball (USAV)
American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)
National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA)
National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA)

Publications and Presentations

"Developing a Setter-Centered Team," Best of Coaching Volleyball, Volume 1
Testimonies published in the Christian Science Sentinel