Headshot courtesy of Pittsburgh Athletics

Former University of Pittsburgh standout Hali Hillegas is the new varsity assistant volleyball coach at Central College. Hillegas, a Charles City native, was a second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection as a libero for the Panthers, who captured the 2019 ACC crown with an 18-0 mark and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship tourney. She transferred to Pitt after three seasons at Iowa State University, where she gained AVCA honorable mention all-America honors in 2017 and was a first-team all-Big 12 selection as well as the league’s libero of the year. She was a seven-time Big 12 defensive player of the week.

At Charles City High School she was a four-year letterwinner and a two-time first-team Class 4A all-state selection. She notched 330 kills with a sizzling .451 hitting percentage as a senior for the Comets, who reached the state quarterfinals. Hillegas helped lead Charles City to the state crown as a sophomore. She also competed in basketball, track and field and softball in high school.

Hillegas begins her duties Nov. 5 with the Dutch, who are nearing the end of fall workouts while preparing for the 2020-21 season which was postponed to the spring due to the global pandemic.