Girls Varsity Volleyball Coach Named

July 12, 2017

Ellen Schafer'10 has been named the Head Varsity Coach for CDH Volleyball.  She comes to Cretin-Derham Hall as no stranger to the volleyball program. Schafer started playing volleyball in sixth grade under the coaching direction of her mother and immediately fell in love with the sport. In eighth grade, she joined Northern Heat Volleyball Club under the direction of former CDH varsity volleyball coach, Rick Kuehlwein.  Schafer made every top team and proved to be a starter for every team.

At CDH, she played volleyball all four years.  In addition, she also played basketball and was an ultimate Frisbee captain.  After her senior year ended, Schafer transitioned from player to coach in the Northern Heat program.  She has been a head coach for Northern Heat Junior Olympic season and summer camps for the past eight years.  An experienced coach, she has coached a wide range of ages from 13-17 and led many teams to victories in local, regional, and national level tournaments.

Schafer became a CDH volleyball coach in 2014 leading the 9th-grade program for two years where she oversaw the three freshman teams while coaching the top team. In 2016, she joined the varsity staff as the junior varsity and varsity assistant.  Schafer helped lead the varsity team to the conference championship and second place in sectionals.

After graduating from CDH in 2010, she attended the University of St. Thomas.  She helped start and played for the first ever UST women’s volleyball club.  

Schafer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and a science and mathematics endorsement with a specialization in chemistry.   She was hired by her grade school alma mater, St. Joseph’s School in West St. Paul as the middle school science and engineering teacher.  She is currently working on getting her masters in engineering education from the University of St. Thomas.  Aside from volleyball, Schafer enjoys going up to her family cabin and hanging out with friends.