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Michelle Durban Last College: Indiana University (1996) Position: Head Coach Experience: Fourth Season E-mail Address: mldurban@samford.edu

Michelle Durban is in the midst of her fourth season as Samford's head volleyball coach. She was hired Jan. 21, 2004, as the sixth head coach since the program's inception in 1987. In June 2006, she was also named Samford's senior woman ­administrator.

It is Durban's task to guide the Bulldogs to the upper echelon of volleyball in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Bulldogs improved from Durban's first year to her second, nearly doubling their win total from year one to year two.

This season, Samford boasts seven returning starters and 10 of 12 letterwinners returning from last year's team. With the experience and cohesion of her squad, Durban is looking for more improvement this season.

"We should have depth at each position, which should definitely help us in terms of having some flexibility and giving us some more options," Durban said. "Our biggest goal for the upcoming season is to continue to improve."

Durban came to Samford from the University of Alabama, where she spent four years as an assistant coach. In 2003, she served as associate head coach.

During her time in Tuscaloosa, she coached six All-SEC players, two academic All-Americans and one honorable mention All-American, former Samford Assistant Coach Erin Heffner.

Durban arrived at Alabama in February of 2000 after a three-year stint as the top assistant coach at Butler University. Durban helped guide the Butler Bulldogs to the 1997 Midwestern Collegiate Conference regular-­season and tournament titles, and to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Durban began her ­coaching career as the varsity and junior varsity volleyball coach at Bloomington South (Ind.) High School.

A starting setter and four-year letter­winner at Indiana, the former Michelle McElroy finished her playing career as the Hoosiers' all-time assists leader. She was listed 10th on the Big Ten all-time list for assists upon the completion of her playing career.

A native of Edgewood, Ky., Durban graduated from Indiana University in 1996 with a B.S. in recreation and sports management. One year later, she received her M.S. degree from Indiana as well.

Durban and her husband, Jason, have two daughters, Alyson (5) and Sidney (newborn).