The 2013 season was Nicole Cirillo's fifth as an assistant coach for the IUPUI volleyball program after spending the previous five years at Missouri Southern State University.
Since joining the program, Cirillo has been a part of the three of the best seasons in IUPUI history. This past season, she helped guide the Jaguars to a 19-14 record, a Summit League regular-season and tournament championship, and their first NCAA Tournament appearance. That followed a school-record 22 wins and IUPUI's first outright Summit League regular-season title in 2012.
Cirillo came to IUPUI in 2009 and she had an immediate impact for the Jaguars. In her first season on the sidelines in Indianapolis, IUPUI went 20-10, posting its best winning percentage and the most single-season wins since the school moved to Division I in 1998.
Working primarily with the middle hitters/right side hitters and blockers, Cirillo's 2011 blocking group rewrote the IUPUI record books. Not only did Bethany Fogler become IUPUI's new single-season solo blocks, block assists, and total blocks record holder, but the team set new school records for solo blocks (83), block assists (415), total blocks (290.5), and blocks per set (2.46). The team's 2.46 blocks per set mark led the Summit League and ranked 52nd nationally.
While her 2011 squad may have been IUPUI's best blocking team in school history, the 2012 bunch wasn't far behind ranking second in IUPUI history in total blocks with 280.5. That group again was led by Bethany Fogler, who broke her own school records in block assists and total blocks in addition to earning All-Summit League honors for the first time in her career. While Fogler garnered a lot of the attention, Kortni Wright also was a big contributor in the middle as her 90 total blocks tied for ninth in program history.
While blocking has been a strength for IUPUI since Cirillo's arrival, in 2012 the Jaguars finished first in the Summit League in hitting percentage (.234) in conference-only matches.
Drawing from her experience as a front row player in her time at Central Arkansas, Cirillo helped the Jaguars have one of The Summit League’s top attacks in 2009 as IUPUI finished in the top half of the conference in both hitting percentage (.186) and kills per set (12.81).
Defensively, the Jaguars turned in 177 total blocks that year under Cirillo’s tutelage and she helped Ashley Johnson set the IUPUI record for solo blocks in a season with 20 before Fogler re-set the record in 2011 with 24. The Jaguars owned the conference’s second-stingiest defense limiting opponents to a .173 hitting percentage.
Additionally, for the second consecutive year the Jags led The Summit in digs averaging 18.79 digs per set ranking third in the NCAA.
Alongside her primary responsibility of coaching middle/right side hitters and blocking, Cirillo also serves as the program’s travel coordinator and assists with recruiting.
During her five years at Missouri Southern State, Cirillo worked directly in the development of the squad’s middle blockers, helping MSSU reach the South Central Regional Tournament and a Top 25 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) ranking in 2006.
Cirillo also was the club director for the Ozarks Juniors Volleyball Club and served as a head coach for several USA Volleyball Juniors teams.
During her four-year collegiate career, Cirillo served as a team captain at Southwestern Illinois College (2000-02) and the University of Central Arkansas (2002-04).
A native of Edwardsville, Ill., Cirillo was first-team all-conference and all-metro player at Edwardsville High School, earning Player of the Year honors on the all-area team while leading EHS to regional and sectional championships. She was an honorable-mention All-America and a first-team all-region selection at Southwestern Illinois College, where she played the first two years of her collegiate career before transferring to UCA.
At Central Arkansas, Cirillo played in 173 games and logged 409 kills, 125 blocks (27 solo) and 62 service aces. In 2003, she helped the Sugar Bears to their first Gulf South Conference Tournament appearance since 1998. Cirillo, a team captain, was also named to the GSC Academic Honor Roll.
Cirillo earned her bachelor’s degree in management information systems from UCA in 2004 and her Masters of Science in Administrative Studies from Missouri State in 2006.
The former Nicole Shoger is married to Kiley Cirillo and they have two sons, Kale and Daxton.
