Isn’t it always the new year, new start, you know, fresh start kind of thing? Well, that is true for Erik Sullivan to the T! Just a few hours ago, it was announced that the Associate Head Coach for Texas Volleyball—who used to coach Madisen Skinner’s team—has just been named the new head coach of the U.S. Women’s Volleyball Team. USA Volleyball dropped the bombshell on January 6, 2025, and the sports world is buzzing!

Sullivan has been a strong force at Texas for 14 years now and has taken the Longhorns to 8 NCAA final fours and won 3 NCAA championships. He is a master of defensive systems, as everyone knows. Now, with this huge move, Madisen Skinner, who knows him well, is sharing her thoughts on her former coach taking the big leap.

Madisen Skinner was all about the love on Instagram stories after getting to know the big news! It was the post from Texas Volleyball and USA Volleyball where they introduced Erik Sullivan as the new head coach of the U.S. Women’s Volleyball Team. As for her, she could not help but fawn over him, and put this caption to the story, “Can’t think of a more perfect person to take on this role!! So incredibly happy for you! @sullivanerik” It’s evident that she has all the good things to say about her former coach!

Some serious things happened during Erik Sullivan’s 14th season or the 2024 season with Texas Volleyball! After coaching at Nebraska and Colorado, he came to the Texas Longhorns and has been a key person in shaping the team’s defensive strategies and coaching the liberos and middle blockers. During his time at Texas, Sullivan had a front-row seat to a massive run–348 wins, 12 conference titles, and eight NCAA Final Four appearances.

Erik has also witnessed the team’s rise to the pinnacle of college volleyball and has been part of the squad that won two championships–in 2012 and 2022, a decade later. Talk about making history! While Erik Sullivan has done a lot in helping his players achieve stat success, he has significantly contributed to the success of Madisen Skinner. And, you guessed it right, there is always a twist. Some fans have also been giving their opinion on him taking up the mantle of the head coach of the U.S. Women’s Volleyball Team!

Madisen Skinner grows under coach Erik!

The 2023 season was a historic one for Texas Volleyball, marking something only a handful of other Longhorn teams have done—winning back-to-back National Championships. They ended the regular season on a high note with a 28-4 record and swept Nebraska in a three-set victory during the championship match. Madisen Skinner, who has been awarded Big 12 Player of the Year, was awarded the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Skinner was joined on the Final Four All-Tournament Team by Asjia O’Neal, Emma Halter, and Ella Swindle-all under Erik Sullivan’s watch.

So, no surprise that Madisen Skinner was all smiles about this news! But as for the fans… well, let’s just say, they have some mixed feelings. Some controversy has arisen over the timing of this decision as the 2025 Volleyball Nations League season is scheduled for June next year. Not everyone is sure that it is the right thing to do. One of the fans was more to the point, saying, “By the end of the LA quad, it will be over 20 years since a female head coach was in charge of the women’s national team. There is one female head coach in the FIVB top 20 teams. I’m disappointed in John Speraw and USAVolleyball.” Ouch!

But here’s the twist: This decision was not initiated without a word from the USA Volleyball President and CEO, John Speraw. He said, “With the Women’s National Team season set to begin in less than six months, we knew we had to move quickly but thoughtfully.” Seems there was some urgency behind the decision. It looks like, USA Volleyball needed someone with elite-level strategy know-how and the ability to handle a high-pressure environment. And, we may say they did dropped in a right person!