MONMOUTH, IL -- Monmouth College athletic director Dr. Terry Glasgow has announced the hiring of Kari Bailey Shimmin as the new Fighting Scots interim women’s volleyball coach. Shimmin, a 1997 Monmouth graduate, will return to her alma mater after a brief two-year absence during which she worked at Gates Rubber Company in Galesburg. She becomes the ninth coach since the volleyball program was begun in 1974 at Monmouth and succeeds Mia Smith, who resigned this summer to accept a basketball coaching position at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Shimmin, who came to Monmouth following a stellar prep career at Union High School, will inherit a program in which she played an integral part from 1993 to 1996. Her accomplishments on the volleyball court rank her among the college’s all-time best. Shimmin finished her Fighting Scot career as the college record holder for kills (944), kill attempts (3,154), service aces (149) and digs (1,427). Her 76 service aces in 1993 and 584 digs in 1994 still stand as Monmouth single-season records. She also ranks second in games played, having appeared in 386 games in her four-year career.

Shimmin was a two-time All-Midwest Conference volleyball selection at outside hitter, voted to the squad in 1995 and 1996 after leading Monmouth in both kills and digs in each season. She was the team’s offensive catalyst and will now attempt to translate her on-court leadership skills to success on the bench.

"I’m extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Kari Shimmin as interim head volleyball coach," said Glasgow. "She is bright, articulate and highly enthusiastic about the program. She certainly will present an outstanding role model for our young athletes."

In addition to her job at Gates, Shimmin has been active as a junior high/JV volleyball and track coach at Union High School and is excited about tackling the coaching challenges at the collegiate level. "Returning to Monmouth College as head volleyball coach is a positive career move for me," said Shimmin. "As an alum of the college and as a former Fighting Scot athlete, I have a lot of pride in Monmouth. I am truly excited about the upcoming volleyball season. My strong ties to the local area will hopefully be a positive advantage for recruiting to build a stronger team for the future." Shimmin lives in Monmouth with her husband, Hank, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Western Illinois University.

Twin sisters Cindy and Wendy Erlandson (Kirkwood,IL), who played at Yorkwood High School, return this fall as part of a strong junior class which includes setters Stacey Kreps (Champaign,IL/ Centennial) and Jill Brant (Sandwich,IL/HS). Shimmin will also welcome two Second Team All-Conference players in senior Michelle Kommer (Monticello,IL/HS) and sophomore Cathie Osborn (Hartsburg,IL/ Hartsburg-Emden) from the 1997 squad which posted a 14-17 season record and finished third in the MWC South Division.

Monmouth begins its season on Saturday, September 5th with its annual Monmouth Invitational at Glennie Gymnasium and opens its Midwest Conference schedule at home on September 18th against MWC South Division rival Lake Forest.