PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College Department of Athletics and Recreation and Director of Athletics Julene Caulfield announced the hiring of Tyler Blank as the head coach of the Manhattanville College men's and women's volleyball teams today, April 1, 2022.

"As we enter a new era of Manhattanville Athletics with the addition of our men's volleyball program, it was extremely important to bring in a coach that could oversee the development of both of our Valiant volleyball teams," Caulfield said. "Tyler's track record of working with both men's and women's volleyball teams in the past at a DIII level made him the perfect choice to continue fostering our women's team's on-court success while taking the helm of our newest team in the Valiant family."

Blank comes to Manhattanville following five seasons with the Nazareth Golden Flyers. Blank's coaching journey in Rochester began in the fall of 2017 when he was brought on as an assistant coach for both of Nazareth's men's and women's volleyball teams. Over the following three seasons, Blank was responsible for both group and individual training with the teams' student-athletes. In 2018, the Golden Flyers women's team won the Empire 8 Conference Championship in Blank's second season with the team. The Nazareth women would go on to play in the conference championship in each season Blank was with the team.

 In August 2020, Blank was elevated to the position of Associate Head Coach for both teams, becoming more involved with the day-to-day operations of the team. While taking a more intensive role in the development of practices and game plans, Blank was responsible for both team's budgets, recruiting and scheduling. His role as associate head coach concluded in December 2021, but Blank had continued to work with the Golden Flyers as a volunteer assistant since January of 2022.

Concurrently with his positions with Nazareth, Blank served as the head coach for the Rochester Volleyball Club since November 2017. With the team, Blank was in charge of practice planning for individual sets and the team as a whole for the 18U team. He also had the opportunity to work with athletes of all positions and age groups through individual training sessions.

A graduate of Rivier University, Blank was a standout for the Raiders' men's volleyball team for four seasons. Blank was a four-year starter with Rivier, earning 2014 GNAC Rookie of the Year honors in his first season with the Raiders. In 2016, Blank led all of Division III in assists per set with a mark of 11.31. Blank would also earn AVCA Player of the Week honors during his 2016 campaign. He earned his Bachelor of Science for Rivier in 2016 before earning his Masters of Business Administration in 2017.

"I am excited to continue the success of the women's volleyball program and to work on building a brand-new men's program," Blank said. "I want to thank Julene Caulfield and the search committee for giving me this amazing opportunity to start my career as a head coach."

Blank will immediately begin duties as the head coach for both of Manhattanville's teams, becoming the 17^th coach in the history of the women's teams and the inaugural coach of the men's team. The men's team is slated to make their on-court debut in Fall 2023, as announced in January. Blank will begin actively recruiting to fill the first-ever Manhattanville College men's volleyball roster whilst simultaneously prepping for the 2022 women's volleyball season beginning in the fall.

VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. #GoValiants #RollVals