Atlanta Vibe named Olympian Kayla Banwarth new head coach

The Atlanta Vibe have named Kayla Banwarth as their new head coach, the Pro Volleyball Federation team announced Wednesday.

Banwarth, a former Olympian, has already assumed her role. She replaces Todd Dagenais, who served as the head coach of the Vibe in its inaugural season and guided the team to the year-end postseason tournament.

Banwarth’s career as an athlete with Team USA garnered eight medals in six years of international competition, including a bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games and a gold medal at the 2014 FIVB World Championship.

“I am so excited for the opportunity to be a part of a first-class organization like the Atlanta Vibe and lead a team of extremely high-caliber athletes,” Banwarth said in a statement released by the team. “I want to thank the Vibe leadership for entrusting me with this team as we work to set the standard for professional volleyball in the United States. To be a head coach of a professional team in a true sports city like Atlanta feels like a dream come true, and coaching in the Pro Volleyball Federation truly couldn’t be a better fit for me. I am excited to get started and get to work with the best volleyball players in the world as we compete for a championship.”

The Vibe are now the sixth team of the Pro Volleyball Federation’s teams with a female head coach.

The Vibe finished the inaugural season in 2024 as the regular-season champions, going 19-5 on their way to the No. 1 overall seed in the league’s Championship tournament. They lost in the playoffs to Grand Rapids.

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