The fall of 2009 will be head coach Karen Corey's fourth at the helm of the Bowdoin volleyball program. Her first three years proved to be some of the most successful in school history, as the Polar Bears recorded the third-best season in program history with a 20-11 mark in her rookie campaign and backed it up with a 17-15 in 2007. It marked the first time in nearly two decades that Bowdoin finished with winning records in consecutive seasons. In 2008 the Polar Bears posted a 17-17 record.
No stranger to Bowdoin, Karen was the first assistant in 2005 and was the director of volleyball operations in 2004. An enthusiastic leader and student of the game, Corey is a USA Volleyball CAP Level II coach and brings Division I playing experience to Bowdoin.
Corey started playing volleyball 20 years ago and had a strong prep career that included an Illinois Class A State Championship, State All Tournament selection, Second team All Conference member, and an Academic All-Conference selection for three years.
Corey continued her athletic and academic success at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. A readily contributing member to the Division I Midshipmen team, Corey earned Patriot League Second Team All Conference both her junior and senior years.
She was further selected as Team MVP her senior year. After graduation and between military tours, Corey continued to play competitive volleyball and competed for the All-Navy Volleyball team in 1998 and 1999.
Her coaching career started as a volunteer at various local high schools at her duty stations and formally continued after her active duty military service. In 2001, Corey was the freshman coach at Princeton High School (Princeton, IL). She came to Bowdoin in 2004 and served as the director of volleyball operations and moved to the first assistant position in 2005.
Corey has earned a B.S. in Oceanography (USNA), M.S. in Sports
Management (Northern Illinois University) and MBA (Northern
Illinois University). She resides in Brunswick with her husband and
three daughters.
Bowdoin assistant coach Erin Summers hails from Stilwell, Kansas and has a 17-year playing background in the sport of volleyball. A three-year varsity letter-winner in three different sports in high school, she attended Truman State University in Missouri and received a Master's Degree in Marine Biology from the Boston University Marine Program. She is currently employed at the Maine Department of Marine Resources, where she heads up the Large Whale and Sea Turtle Conservation Program.
Summers has coached at both the youth and collegiate level. She
has coached Junior Olympic teams in North Carolina and in Maine.
She was the assistant coach at Southern Maine in 2005 and has been
a critical part of the Polar Bear team since 2006. A current
resident of Raymond, Maine, Summers enjoys playing recreationally
volleyball whenever she can.