???After a rough season that resulted in just six wins and one victory in-conference, the Buffalo athletic department realized the volleyball team needed to make significant changes.
???In early February, Buffalo announced Todd Kress as the team's new head coach, and hope for a bright future began to grow. The coaching changes continued on Tuesday when the Bulls hired Jenni Horvath as an assistant coach for the volleyball team.
Horvath most recently gained a year of coaching experience at Toledo. She helped lead the Rockets to a 14-17 record as well as a win in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
In 2008, Horvath graduated from Xavier University. She was a key member of the Musketeers, who went 83-45 while she was a member of the team. She played right-side hitter and helped lead her squad to the NCAA Tournament in 2007. In her senior year, she received A-10 All-Tournament team honors due to strong performances in the semifinals and championship matches.
Prior to playing at Xavier, Horvath attended Stephen T. Badin High School, where she currently holds the school record for kills. She was selected to the Cincinnati Enquirer's All-Star Volleyball First-Team two years in a row and also was named to the Southwest Ohio Volleyball Coaches Association's First-Team All-City as a senior.
Horvath comes from an athlete-dominated family. Her grandfather played for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL, her father played baseball at Eastern Kentucky University and her sister is on the swimming and diving team at the University of Pittsburgh.
???The combination of Horvath and Kress gives the women's volleyball team experience, a new face and a hopeful future. Though her coaching background is limited, the Bulls are optimistic that the combination of Horvath's youth and on-court skills will allow her to connect well with the team.
Kress seems eager to bring success to the women's volleyball program.
???"I am very excited to have Jenni join the staff here at Buffalo," Kress said in a press release. "I truly believe she is one of the great young coaches in this profession, and her familiarity with the Mid-American Conference will benefit us as we begin our goal toward a MAC Championship."
