Dover, Del. (Jan. 14, 2021) --- Delaware State has secured the services of two head coaches whose contracts expired at the end of last year.
DSU Director of Athletics Dr. D. Scott Gines has announced that head women's volleyball coach Bruce Atkinson has agreed to a new deal to remain with the program through at least Dec. 31, 2023. Also, the contract of head women's soccer coach Kortney Rhoades has been extended for another two years.
The Hornets made huge strides in Atkinson's first season with the program in 2019, posting a 10-win improvement from the previous year.
Delaware State's 12 wins in 2019 (12-18) were the most by the team since posting an 18-12 mark in 2010. The Hornets had just 12 wins combined in the six seasons prior to his arrival.
The Hornets' seven MEAC wins last season were also the most by the team since tallying eight (8-2) in 2010. DSU also had a three-game win streak during its last season, its longest in nine years.  
Atkinson also received national recognition for the Hornets' work in the classroom during his first year at DSU. The American Volleyball Coaches Association honored the Hornets as a recipient of the 2020 United States Marine/AVCA Team Academic Award.
In addition, Atkinson's first Delaware State squad achieved a 3.71 team grade point average during the spring 2020 semester, a 3.53 mark for the 2019-20 academic year and a 3.56 GPA for the Fall 2020 term. 
Also, each of the Hornets' eligible volleyball student-athletes was listed on the 2019-20 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Commissioner's All-Academic Team.
"Bruce is a veteran coach with a proven record of success on and off the court," said Gines. "He has quickly set our volleyball program on a course to become highly competitive. Our current volleyball team is still relatively young, so it's important that we provide stability in the program to give our student-athletes the best environment to grow and succeed."          
Rhoades, a native of Wilmington, Del., is in her fifth year as head coach of the Delaware State women's soccer team.
In her first season with the program in 2016, she led the Hornets to the third best single-season win total in team history. Three of her first-year wins were shutouts vs. Division I opponents.
During the 2019-20 academic year, women's soccer  was fifth among DSU teams with a 3.64 cumulative grade-point average for the spring semester; and seventh for the full year with a 3.32 GPA. In addition, each eligible women's soccer player qualified for the MEAC All-Academic Team during the 2019-20 school year. Women's soccer was fourth among Hornet teams with a 3.54 team GPA during the just completed Fall 2020 semester.
Rhoades was a standout player at Padua Academy in Wilmington, Del., where she was a four-time All-State selection and led the squad to a pair of state titles. 
"Kortney has demonstrated the skill and determination to admirably lead our women's soccer team in its challenging position as a Division I Independent,"   said Gines. "She has raised the profile of the program to the point of attracting top student-athletes from the region and across the globe. Her local roots and connections are also beneficial in raising community support for the program."    
The Delaware State volleyball and soccer teams are scheduled to resume competition this semester after their Fall 2020 seasons were postponed due to the pandemic.