Nicole Cirillo begins her first season as an assistant coach at IUPUI and her first year at Circle City. Cirillo spent the previous five seasons at Missouri Southern State University.
During her five years there, Cirillo worked directly in the development of the squad’s middle blockers, helping MSSU reach the South Central Regional Tournament and a top 25 America Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) ranking in 2006.
Cirillo also was the club director for the Ozarks Juniors Volleyball Club and served as a head coach for several USA Volleyball Juniors teams. She had already gathered some coaching experience prior to joining the MSSU coaching staff, giving private volleyball lessons in to 14- and 15-year-old players with an emphasis on middle blocking and setting. She also was head coach for 14-year-old girls on the Conway Volleyball Club in 2004. Cirillo previously served as head coach for 16-year-old girls on the Southwest Illinois Volleyball Club in Belleville, Ill.
During her four-year collegiate career, Cirillo served as a team captain at Southwestern Illinois College (2000-02) and the University of Central Arkansas (2002-04).
At Central Arkansas, Cirillo played in 173 games and logged 409 kills, 125 blocks (27 solo) and 62 service aces. In 2003, she helped the Sugar Bears to their first Gulf South Conference Tournament appearance since 1998. Cirillo, a team captain, was also named to the GSC Academic Honor Roll.
A native of Edwardsville, Ill., Cirillo was first-team all-conference and all-metro player at Edwardsville High School, earning player of the year honors on the all-area team and leading EHS to regional and sectional championships. She was an honorable mention All-America and a first-team all-region selection at Southwestern Illinois College, where she played the first two years of her collegiate career before transferring to UCA.
Cirillo earned her bachelor’s degree in management information systems from UCA in 2004 and her Masters of Science in Administrative Studies from Missouri Southern State in 2006.
The former Nicole Stoger is married to Kiley Cirillo and the two have a son, Kale.
