Fred Chao is entering his fith season as the head coach of the Old Dominion volleyball team in 2024. He was announced on January 29, 2019 as the first-ever volleyball coach at ODU.
“We feel very fortunate to attract a coach with the charisma, integrity and knowledge that Fred Chao possesses. Coach Chao was the unanimous choice by everyone on our selection committee after he vividly articulated his vision and plans for a nationally prominent future for ODU women’s volleyball,” Selig said.
Competing in a traditional fall season for the first time, Chao’s Monarchs went 13-13 overall and 5-7 in Conference USA in 2021, a four-match improvement from their inaugural season. ODU finished tied for fourth in the C-USA East Division, missing out on its first conference tournament appearance by virtue of tiebreaking criteria. Old Dominion swept hosts Liberty on the first day of the Liberty Invitational on Sept. 10 before adding a win against Purdue Fort Wayne to close out the tournament. The following weekend, the Monarchs ran the table at the Quest for the Crown, including a 3-0 sweep of crosstown rival Norfolk State in the final match. Teresa Atilano was named tournament MVP and joined Hailey Duncan and Myah Conway on the all-tournament team.
The Monarchs showcased their resiliency throughout the fall 2021 season. They overcame a 2-1 deficit to defeat UAB in their home conference opener on Oct. 1. The following week, ODU bounced back from a Friday loss to Charlotte to sweep the 49ers the following day and added another come-from-behind win at Marshall on Oct. 15.
Old Dominion took a step forward across the board in the fall, posting improvements in hitting percentage, kills per set, assists per set, digs per set and blocks per set. The Monarchs averaged 2.28 blocks per set and ranked fifth in C-USA. Hailey Duncan and Olivia De Jesus averaged better than one block per set and were seventh and eighth, respectively, in the conference in blocks per set. In total, ODU finished nine matches with 10 or more blocks, including a team-record 19 in the win over UAB.
Chao guided Alessia Sgherza to the All-Conference USA Second Team for a second-consecutive season and saw Myah Conway play her way onto the Conference USA All-Freshman Team. Sgherza averaged a team-leading 2.79 kills per set in her final season and improved her hitting percentage by nearly 30 points. Conway was third on the team with 2.19 kills per set and tallied 70 total blocks.
The Monarchs remained competitive in the classroom as well with Anna Burkhardt and Hailey Duncan receiving Conference USA All-Academic Team recognition. Duncan was one of three Monarchs (Myah Conway and Julia Dunning) to finish the fall 2021 semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
The Monarchs posted a 7-11 overall mark and went 4-8 in Conference USA in their inaugural season. In its first-ever match as a program, ODU swept George Mason 3-0 on Jan. 22 to christen the new ODU Volleyball Center. The Monarchs notched their first conference win on Feb. 9 with a 3-1 result at FIU. ODU then went on to sweep Florida Atlantic at home in a two-game C-USA series. Chao coached a pair of individuals to C-USA accolades as Alessia Sgherza was named Second Team All-C-USA and Teresa Atilano was featured on the all-freshman team. Sgherza was also honored on the C-USA All-Academic Team alongside teammate Hailey Duncan.
Chao spent the last two seasons at Duke, helping the Blue Devils to back-to-back winning seasons. This year the Blue Devils defeated No. 5 Pittsburgh, giving the Panthers their first loss of the season, and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to joining the Blue Devils, Chao spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech.
Chao’s resume includes over 20 years of coaching experience. He served as the head men’s volleyball coach at George Mason (1999-2015) while simultaneously working as an assistant coach with the Patriots’ women’s volleyball team (1998-2004).
“I would like to thank President John R. Broderick, Athletic Director Wood Selig and Associate A.D./Senior Women’s Administrator Ragean Hill, for entrusting me to build the very first volleyball program at ODU. I would also like to thank the search committee and all the warm and passionate people I met throughout the process. Everyone is excited to have volleyball at ODU, and the level of commitment to the program is evident,” Chao said. “I am grateful for all the players, coaches and administrators who have been part of my coaching journey which ultimately led to this incredible opportunity. Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Dana, and my children Keira and Kylar, for their constant encouragement and support. We are thrilled to join the Monarch family.”
A three-time Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Coach of the Year, Chao guided the George Mason men’s team to 15 consecutive EIVA Championship Tournament appearances. The Patriots advanced to the finals five times and compiled a 246-204 overall record in Chao’s tenure.
Prior to taking the helm at George Mason, Chao worked as an assistant women’s coach at the University of Maryland Baltimore County from 1997-98.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Chao has worked diligently with youth teams and camps at the local, national and international levels. He coached some of the top boys’ players in the nation at the 2002 USA Volleyball Development Camp and was as an assistant coach with the 2005 USA Junior Men’s National Team, traveling to India for the World Championships. Chao also directed the USA Boys Development Camp and was the head coach of the USA Boys and USA Girls Youth A2 Programs.
A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Chao received his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in physiological psychology from George Mason in 1994. He completed his master’s degree in educational psychology with a concentration in learning, cognition and motivation at Mason in 2014. Chao played collegiate volleyball at Pepperdine University before completing his career at George Mason.
Chao and his wife, Dana, have two children: daughter Keira and son Kylar.
Becca Lamb is in her fith season as an assistant volleyball coach at Old Dominion in 2024. She was head coach Fred Chao's first hire at ODU.
Lamb helped lead ODU to a four-match improvement in the fall 2021 season, the Monarchs’ first conventional fall season. Old Dominion finished 13-13 overall and 5-7 in Conference USA, missing out on the conference tournament on tiebreaking criteria. With Lamb on the bench, the Monarchs won their first ever in-season tournament, sweeping all three matches of the Quest for the Crown.
Under Lamb’s teaching, the Monarchs posted statistical improvements across the board in their second season. ODU averaged 2.28 blocks per set and ranked fifth in C-USA. Hailey Duncan and Olivia De Jesus averaged better than one block per set and were seventh and eighth, respectively, in the conference in blocks per set. In total, ODU finished nine matches with 10 or more blocks, including a team-record 19 in an Oct. 1 win over UAB.
Alessia Sgherza repeated on the All-Conference USA Second Team, finishing the season with 2.79 kills per set while boosting her hitting percentage by nearly 30 points. Myah Conway earned a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman Team after finishing third on the team in kills per set (2.19) and total blocks (70).
Lamb helped lead the Monarchs to a 7-11 mark with a 4-8 conference record in their inaugural season. ODU won its opening match, sweeping George Mason on Jan. 22, and collected its first C-USA victory over FIU on Feb. 9. Additionally, the Monarchs added a home sweep of Florida Atlantic in a two-game conference series. With Lamb on the bench, Alessia Sgherza played her way onto the All-Conference USA Second Team, and Teresa Atilano was recognized on the all-freshman team.
Lamb joins ODU after spending three years as an assistant coach at Murray State. Lamb helped the Racers to two Ohio Valley Conference Championships in her three years as an assistant coach.
“I’m thankful for this unique opportunity. I can’t wait to join the Monarch family and join Coach Chao. I’m grateful for the support and work that’s already been done to get the program started,” Lamb said. “I’m excited to be a part of the very beginning of a great volleyball tradition. I am ready to get started and to thank the entire athletic department for making this happen.”
Lamb also spent two seasons as an assistant coach at USC Upstate.
Lamb played in 122 matches at Murray State from 2007-2010. She ranks in the top-10 all time in the Racers record books in matches played with 122, sets played with 446, she ranks seventh in school history with 1,152 kills and blocks with 193. She earned All-OVC honors as a junior and in all four seasons received OVC commissioner’s honor roll accolades.
Following her playing career, Lamb played professionally overseas in Germany and Finland from 2012-2014.
Lamb earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2011 from Murray State and a master’s in human development and leadership in 2013, also from Murray State.
Adam McLamb enters his fith season as an assistant volleyball coach at Old Dominion in 2024.
McLamb coached ODU to a four-match improvement in the fall 2021 season, the Monarchs’ first conventional fall season. The Monarchs posted a 13-13 overall record and were 5-7 in Conference USA, missing out on the conference tournament on tiebreaking criteria. With McLamb’s guidance, the Monarchs won their first ever in-season tournament, sweeping all three matches of the Quest for the Crown.
Under McLamb, the Monarchs posted statistical improvements across the board in their second season. Teresa Atilano ranked sixth in the conference with a personal-best 9.30 assists per set, and both Jordan Daniel and Anna Burkhardt upped their digs per set with Burkhardt more than doubling her digs per set from last season.
Alessia Sgherza repeated on the All-Conference USA Second Team, finishing the season with 2.79 kills per set while boosting her hitting percentage by nearly 30 points. Myah Conway earned a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman Team after finishing third on the team in kills per set (2.19) and total blocks (70).
McLamb was on hand for ODU’s inaugural season and helped lead the Monarchs to a 7-11 record and a 4-8 finish in Conference USA. ODU won its first-ever match with a sweep of George Mason on Jan. 22, claimed its first C-USA victory at FIU on Feb. 9 and added a two-game conference sweep of Florida Atlantic. Alessia Sgherza was named Second Team All-Conference USA, and Teresa Atilano featured on the all-rookie team.
McLamb spent the previous four seasons at Buffalo, helping orchestrate an 11-win improvement from 4-25 in 2016 to 15-13 in 2017 and 18-11 in 2018. The 18 wins were the most for the program since 2013, and a fourth-place finish in the MAC was the best in school history.
McLamb joined Buffalo after spending one season at Chattanooga, working with their pin hitters and instructing the passing game while aiding in speeding up the team’s tempo.
Before moving to the collegiate level, McLamb coached juniors for the Coastal Virginia Volleyball Club of Virginia Beach, Va.
As a student-athlete, Adam played club volleyball at both New Hampshire and Radford. As a setter, his UNH team claimed the NCVF Division 1-AA National Championship. McLamb was named a First Team All-Tournament performer.