TAMPA - South Florida volleyball coach Nancy Mueller is headed home. Mueller of St. Libory, Ill., accepted the head-coaching position at Illinois-Chicago.
"It was a personal move, to be closer to family and yet still be at a very good institution that I think is going places," said Mueller, who has three sisters living within two hours of Chicago. "It's very appealing to me to have a great profession and have family and friends nearby. It's something I've wanted my entire career."
She was 106-60 in five seasons, 53-21 in Conference USA. She led the Bulls to the C-USA regular-season title and NCAA Tournament in 2000 and 2002 and a C-USA tournament title in 2002.
"South Florida has been wonderful to me," Mueller said. "They've been very, very good to me, and I appreciate that very much. It's sad and hard to leave this program because we've put so much into it."
USF, led by two-time C-USA player of the year Michelle Collier, was 30-7 in 2002, its best season under Mueller. The Bulls slipped to 12-20, 6-7 in C-USA, this fall.
"She will be missed but departs having established a solid foundation for this program," associate athletic director Barbara Sparks-McGlinchy said.
Assistant Claire Roach-Lessinger was named interim coach.
SOCCER: Florida State's Leah Gallegos was named a first-team All-American by SoccerBuzz.
Football
FROGS HEAD WEST: TCU accepted an invitation to become the Mountain West's ninth member, making its third conference switch since the Southwest Conference dissolved in 1995. TCU will leave Conference USA and begin Mountain West play in all sports during the 2005-06 year.
LA.-MONROE STAYS PUT: Arkansas and Louisiana-Monroe will play five games over the next 10 years at Little Rock, but in an arrangement to keep Louisiana-Monroe in Division I-A, the Indians will be considered the home team. Teams must host at least five I-A squads and average at least 15,000 fans to remain in Division I-A.
ARIZONA: Former Central Florida assistant Joe Robinson was named defensive ends coach and special-teams coordinator.
COLORADO: University regents will meet within 10 days to discuss allegations that female students were raped at off-campus sex parties held for recruits.
CORNELL: Jim Knowles was hired as coach, returning to the school where he spent nine years as an assistant.
- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.
