McKendree University Athletics

McKendree University men’s and women’s volleyball head coach Nickie Sanlin has announced the return of former Bearcat Jorge Collazo as an assistant coach for the Bearcats’ women’s and men’s volleyball program. Collazo began his duties at McKendree on Aug. 15, 2022.
 
Collazo, who lettered at McKendree as a libero in men’s volleyball from 2018-19, comes to McKendree after spending the past two seasons (2021-22) working as an assistant men’s volleyball coach at Lincoln Memorial University, which is an NCAA Division II school in Harrogate, Tenn.
 
During the 2022 season, Collazo was a full-time assistant for the Railsplitters and he helped lead the team to a 20-7 overall record and fourth straight championship at the IVA Tournament as LMU defeated Daemen in three sets. The 20 wins in 2022 marked the program’s first-ever 20-win campaign in school history.
 
As a graduate assistant coach in 2021, Collazo helped lead LMU to 12 wins and their third IVA championship in four years (there was no 2020 champion due to the COVID-19 global pandemic). Finishing the season strong with nine wins in 10 contests, the Railsplitters swept their way through the IVA tournament, defeating host Queens in a three-set affair.
 
Prior to working at LMU, Collazo was a two-year letterwinner and three-year (2018-20) team member of the Bearcats’ men’s volleyball team. In his time as a Bearcat, Collazo earned Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) All-Academic honors as a sophomore in 2018. He recorded 36 digs over two seasons at McKendree and saw action in 10 matches and competed in 22 sets, averaging 1.64 digs per set.
 
In November of 2020, Collazo was a recipient of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Diversity Award and was provided the opportunity to participate in a series of educational, developmental, and relationship-building experiences in conjunction with the 2020 AVCA Virtual Convention. 

Prior to playing at McKendree, Collazo, who is a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico and prepped at Lake Nona High School in Orlando, Fla., played at Lincoln Memorial as a true freshman in 2017. In his lone season as a player for the Railsplitters, Collazo led the team in digs (248) and averaged the 10th-most nationally per set (2.38). He also recorded 40 assists and tallied a trio of kills while playing in all 27 matches.
 
He graduated from McKendree with a bachelor’s degree in pre-medicine in December of 2020 and earned his master’s degree in public administration with a healthcare policy track from LMU in May of 2022.