Michelle Collier’s impact on USF Volleyball was apparent to anyone who saw her play. Her extraordinary strength, court savvy, and athleticism combined to create the best player to ever wear green and gold. But her impact won’t end with the awards and banners she won following a stellar career, as today head coach Claire Lessinger announced the return of the player who remains the only retired jersey in team history, Michelle Collier, returns as an assistant coach for her second season.
“We have hit the jackpot by bringing Michelle Collier back to USF as an assistant coach,” said Lessinger, who led her team to it’s best post-season finish since Collier’s senior season of 2002 last year. “She brings a wealth of playing experience, intense passion for the game, impressive knowledge of the sport, and extreme pride in being a Bull. I look forward to working with her on a daily basis and watching her impact our players. She is a natural leader with an impeccable work ethic. She is a perfect fit for this program in so many ways.”
“I am very excited about coming home,” said Collier, whose 2,729 career kills places her 5th in NCAA Division I history. “I always knew I would coach after I finished playing and I couldn’t ask for a better place to start than here at USF. I love Tampa, the school and the athletics program, so I am very grateful to be given the opportunity to start my coaching career at home.”
Arguably USF’s most dominant team sport athlete ever, Collier was named the Conference USA Player of the Decade in 2004. As one of the nation’s most feared outside hitters, she guided the Bulls to a 120-48 record during her tenure, as well as three NCAA tournament appearances, two C-USA titles, and one C-USA tournament title. She was the first C-USA player to be named an All-American following her senior season of 2002, a two-time Conference Player of the Year, and the Conference Freshman of the Year in 1998.
Following her graduation, her professional career took her across the globe, playing in Holland, Puerto Rico, Cyprus, Indonesia, and Spain over a four-year career, winning numerous accolades including the Indonesian League MVP and the Best Foreign Player in Cyprus.
“I think that being a student-athlete before and having played in many other countries, I can bring some international experience to the table,” said Collier. “I have been coached by Chinese, Europeans, Brazilians and others, and they have a lots of different strategies about the game. I hope I will be able to bring what I have learned across the world to USF.”
Michelle’s name remains most prevalent in the USF record book as well, holding the Bulls records for both career kills (2,729) and digs (1,747), the season records for kills (760 in 2000), attacks (1,873 in 2000), and kills per game (6.28 in 2000), and sits in the Top 10 in numerous other categories.
Collier is married to Rafael Silva, who spent the last nine years as a professional volleyball player in the top divisions of both Brazil and Spain.
