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Atlanta Vibe has named Olympian Kayla Banwarth as its new head coach.

Theo

The Atlanta Vibe have named Kayla Banwarth as their new head coach, the Pro Volleyball Federation team announced Wednesday.

Banwarth, a former Olympian, has already taken over. She replaces Todd Dagenais, who was the Vibe’s head coach during their inaugural season and guided the team to the year-end post-season tournament.

Banwarth’s career as an athlete with Team USA has seen him win eight medals in six years of international competition, including a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics and a gold medal at the 2014 FIVB World Championship.

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to be a part of a premier organization like the Atlanta Vibe and lead a team of top athletes,” Banwarth said in a statement released by the team. “I want to thank the Vibe leadership for entrusting me with this team as we work to set the standard for professional volleyball in the United States. Being a head coach of a professional team in a true sports city like Atlanta is a dream come true, and coaching in the Pro Volleyball Federation couldn’t be a better fit for me. I am excited to get started and work with the best volleyball players in the world as we compete for a championship.”

The Vibe are now the sixth team in the Professional Volleyball Federation to have a woman at the helm of the team.

The Vibe finished the inaugural season in 2024 as regular-season champions, going 19–5 en route to the top seed in the league championship tournament. They lost in the playoffs to Grand Rapids.

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