Robin Salters’ assistant head coach, Ana Paula Pego, will become the new head coach of the Chargers women’s volleyball team according to the staff directory. Pego’s first season as head coach will be this coming fall and she will have big shoes to fill. She will take over for Robin Salters, who got promoted to Deputy Director of Athletics and Senior Women’s Administrator. Pego has plenty of experience winning as she was the assistant coach on this women’s volleyball team that went all the way to the Elite Eight this past season. The Chargers also won the East Region, so she has experience of seeing what it takes to coach a winning team. Getting back to the Elite Eight should be one of her main goals for this fall, it is no easy task.

Pego played college volleyball at Division I school Alabama State in the SWAC conference.  She has always been a leader as she was named team captain of the Alabama State Hornets in 2011.

After her playing career, Pego became the student assistant coach of the Hornets. She spent two seasons with the Hornets before moving on to join the Chargers. In August 2014, she became the graduate assistant coach of the Chargers under Salters. Pego was the graduate assistant coach until this season, when she became an assistant coach. She has had a quick rise to becoming a head coach.

The biggest question is whether or not she is ready.

With all that leadership and being able to watch and learn under Salters for the last four years, it should be a smooth transition. One of the biggest advantages for Pego, she has been with the team for the last four years and helped with the recruiting process. She has also been around the team for a while and knows the ins and outs of the Chargers offensive and defensive schemes.

The Chargers are returning most of their team from last year’s run, but they have a big hole at middle hitter. Finding a middle hitter will be one of the first things Pego will have to figure out for next year.

Recruiting will be one of the biggest things for Pego, but she has been around long enough to understand the process of continuing the success this team has had over the last four years. Another thing Pego will have to figure out is her assistant coach situation.

For the Chargers, this is the start of a new beginning.