April Hall, Vice President of Recruiting
Tiffin University
(312) 429-4769
I played collegiate volleyball at Tiffin University (then NAIA, now D2) and loved every minute of it! Not only did I learn many life lessons, but was able to create lasting friendships, continue to play the sport I love and get my entire undergraduate education paid for. Recruiting wasn’t easy for me; frankly, I got lucky. I picked the wrong school my freshman year and an old coach of mine took the job at Tiffin University, which is how I landed there. I loved my experience, but I always wonder where I would have landed if I knew what to do in recruiting.
While I was in college, I took to coaching the club scene. It was an awesome experience and just another way to stay involved in the sport I love so much. I didn’t realize this hobby of mine would turn into a very rewarding career! I found myself coaching at the collegiate level for nine years and it was an amazing experience. I was able to coach at the D3 level to begin my career; help a then D2 program (Northern Kentucky University) transition to D1 and leave D2 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament; guide Ohio State to a NCAA D1 Sweet 16 appearance, coaching two All-Big Ten student-athletes and Two All-Region athletes; finishing my career as the head coach at D1 Western Illinois University, where I led the team to a conference tournament appearance for the first time in seven years, boasting nationally ranked athletes, many All-Conference athletes and Academic All-American teams.
Coaching was extremely rewarding, but I needed a change and needed to make a bigger impact on this world. I used NCSA when I was a college coach and it seemed like a no brainer to work here. I actually turned down a D1 head coaching position for this opportunity, and I have not regretted making that decision once. Since working here, I’ve helped thousands of student-athletes learn about the recruiting process from the college coach perspective and get matched up with the perfect college for them. To me, that’s the best part of what I do here, being able to help families understand the rollercoaster of recruiting and getting student-athletes to feel empowered to attack it head on!
I’ll never forget one of my student-athletes that I helped when I first started this job. It was January, she was a junior playing for a top club, and she was not getting any interest. Her family was concerned, frazzled and at a loss. We spoke for an hour, dissected exactly what needed to happen and three months later, she had a D1 full-ride offer. I’ll never forget that family and neither will the recruiting coaches who worked so hard to get her that offer and the right opportunity. Stories like this (which I’m fortunate to hear every day that I work here) keep me motivated, inspired and ecstatic to continue this journey with NCSA and every family I speak with!
YouTube Videos From Coaching Career:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iONpJaC4LeA