Volleyball 1/7/2014 3:45:00 PM

Steele named OCU volleyball coach

Steele has coaching, playing background

Kyle Steele

OKLAHOMA CITY – Kyle Steele has been chosen as Oklahoma City University's next volleyball coach.
Steele becomes the OCU coach after gaining successful experience both as a college assistant coach and student-athlete. He specializes in teaching passing and defensive ball control as well as perfecting the approaches and arm swings of hitters.
OCU went 19-14 and reached the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals last season. The Stars were led by NAIA Mid-South Region and SAC freshman of the year Kristen Macy.
"We are excited to have Kyle Steele leading our volleyball program at Oklahoma City University," OCU athletic director Jim Abbott said. "Kyle is well respected in the coaching community and committed to the academic and athletic success of our program. He will be a terrific fit."
Steele becomes the third coach to lead OCU volleyball since the program was revived in 2006.
"I'm glad to be a Star," Steele said. "I'm really thankful for this opportunity Jim and President Henry have given me to direct this program where it needs to go. I'm really grateful to join an exemplary athletic staff. We hope to add to the accolades the other sports have earned here at Oklahoma City University."
In 2013, Steele spent his third year as the assistant coach at Southern Nazarene after serving as a volunteer assistant in the past. A former libero-outside hitter, Steele uses a step-by-step process in his coaching while making it a point to get his athletes to think through the game of volleyball and not just play it. Last season, Southern Nazarene went 27-12, finished second in the Great American Conference and reached the NCCAA Championships.
Steele coached 13 all-conference performers, nine scholar-athlete award winners and three all-Americans at Southern Nazarene. SNU boasted of the 2013 GAC defensive player of the year and the 2011 Sooner Athletic Conference newcomer of the year during Steele's tenure.
He began his coaching career as a lead assistant women's coach at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla. He also coached two club seasons for Kaizen, a local club out of Oklahoma City and is currently coaching the 18-1's for OK Charge, the largest club in Oklahoma. Before Kaizen and OK Charge, he coached for the OK Wind's 18-year-old group.
Steele is an accomplished beach and indoor volleyball player, finishing at the top of many regional tournaments in the summers as well as playing in the adult USA Open for indoor representing the lone men's team from the OKRVA region. He began his playing career at Putnam City North High School and spent a year in Stillwater, Okla., at Oklahoma State playing club ball before playing on the California Baptist men's team, a program that won eight NAIA national championships from 1999-2011.
Steele currently lives in Yukon, Okla., with his wife, Taryn, and their daughters Kambria and Berkley. Steele is currently finishing his degree in organizational leadership at SNU in the adult studies program.

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