Sagnelli Announces Her Plans To Retire Following 2023-24

Central Connecticut State University head women's volleyball coach Linda Sagnelli has announced her decision to retire following the 2023-24 academic year, her 24^th season at the helm.

Central President, Dr. Zulma Toro said, "It has been a pleasure to have Coach Sagnelli lead our Blue Devil Volleyball team over the last 24 years!  The women she has coached have been terrific athletes but more importantly caring community members and successful students.  I wish her all the best in retirement."

"I am very grateful to the President of Central, Dr. Toro, and to our Director of Athletics, Tom Pincince, and the Presidents and Athletic Directors before them, especially Charles "CJ" Jones, who in 2000, had the faith in me to lead the CCSU volleyball program," said Sagnelli.  "I would like to thank my sports supervisors, Amy Strickland and Molly McCarthy, for their wonderful support and guidance throughout my Blue Devil career and the many other people on campus; athletic administrators, coaches, colleagues, and professors, all of whom have made my time here at Central truly special."

Sagnelli is the only coach that CCSU volleyball has known this millennium, taking over the reins prior to the 2000 campaign. She is a four-time Northeast Conference Coach of the Year, last in 2017 when she led the Blue Devils to an NEC regular season championship.  Under her tutelage, the Blue Devils have made 18 NEC Tournament appearances, won a pair of regular season championships and won nearly 55 percent of their matches.  Sagnelli will retire as the winningest coach in program history, and has 474 career wins, including her time as head coach at Iona, where she was the 1994 MAAC Coach of the Year.

"Congratulations on a wonderful and successful career to Linda," said Pincince. "She has been a leader and mentor for her student-athletes and that is exemplified through their successes, not only on the court, but in the classroom and the community. Her commitment to the student-athletes and the CCSU volleyball program is commendable, and I wish her and her husband, John, a long and happy retirement."

For Sagnelli, the success and commitment her student-athletes have shown in the classroom and in the community is a large part of the Blue Devil volleyball story. CCSU has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for 17 straight years, dating back to 2007. The Blue Devils are one of only six programs in the nation to have a streak of that length. The Blue Devils have won five NEC Team Sportsmanship Awards, all since 2014.

"My career has been amazing and filled with many emotions," said Sagnelli.  "I am grateful to have had Greg as my assistant for 21 years and appreciate his shared vision and contributions to the program.  There are so many players that have built this program and contributed to our traditions. The time spent together and the memories of each and every student-athlete are what I hold most special in my heart, it has been a privilege to coach you.  Thank you to each player for sharing your four years with me, and I couldn't be prouder of our successful Alumni.  

CCSU volleyball is well recognized in the community. Last season, the team undertook a paper and pencil drive for New Britain's Smalley Elementary School. The team helped contribute more than 120 reams of paper and over 15,000 pencils to the school.  CCSU volleyball coaches and student-athletes have partnered with Smalley for nearly a decade; from reading in classrooms, to greeting students on the first day of school and things like the pencil and paper drive.

"This has been a wonderful period of my life and I will always be grateful to the many exceptional people that I've worked with over the years, both on the court and off," Sagnelli concluded. "I am so happy that my husband John, and our children, Matthew and Erin, both Central Alums, have shared this journey with me and have supported me the entire way."