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Assistant Coach Derek Schroeder is in his thirdyear with the Furman program after a 10-month stint with the Lady Rebels of the University of Mississippi and two years as the head men's coach at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.While at Mississippi, Schroeder was involved in almost every aspect of the Lady Rebels' program, but primarily focused on training the outside hitters, scouting and charting opponents' tendencies, and grading the performances of the middle blockers. In addition to his experience at Ole Miss and St. Clair, Schroeder served as a head coach at the University of British Columbia Volleyball Camp in 1998-99, and in 1997-98 coached the Riverside Gamblers Volleyball Club Midget Boys' Team to the Provincial Championships. Schroeder also spent three years as coach of the junior and senior boys' teams at Vincent Massey Secondary School, where his squads recorded one city championship and three finals appearances. A native of Canada, Schroeder made a name for himself as a middle blocker, first at the University of Windsor (1993-97) and then at the University of British Columbia (1998-99), where he ranked in the top 10 in Canada in blocking, hitting percentage, and digs. He graduated from the University of Windsor in 1998 with a Bachelor of Human Kinetics; Sport Management degree. "Derek has done a great job in all aspects of his job here at Furman. He has rejuvenated the volleyball booster club with the formation of F.o.F.V. - the Friends of Furman Volleyball, which is Derek's brainchild. In addition, he made excellent progress with our middles and will be a huge asset to us as we look for future talent." Schroeder, who began his duties on June 1, 2003, assists in all areas of the Lady Paladin program, with an emphasis on coaching the middle blockers, organizing travel and video exchange, and running the Furman Booster Club. In addition to his duties at Furman, Schroeder founded and directs the Potential School of Volleyball (PSOV), in Greenville, S.C. The PSOV offers club teams for ages 14, 15, 16, and 17, and will begin national competition in 2006, after concentrating on regional competitions in 2004 and 2005. In addition, Paul Shearme is joining the PSOV staff to relieve some of the demands placed on Schroeder's time, due to the exponential growth of this club. "I definitely think the Potential School of Vollebyall is the best training facility in the upstate," says Schroeder of his undertaking. "We take pride in the development of our athletes as volleyball players and people." The PSOV also offers three weekly volleyball classes for three different skill levels.