Drew Schaeffer
Drew Schaeffer

Bio

Drew Schaeffer enters his third season as head coach of the Mitchell College women's volleyball program in 2020-21. 

Mitchell volleyball has grown by leaps and bounds during Schaeffer's short tenure. Last season the program notched a school record for wins and finished 14-12 overall, posting a winning record for the first time in the school's NCAA Division III era. The Mariners also went 4-3 in New England Collegiate Conference play, earning the fourth seed and a first-ever home game for the NECC Championship. Mitchell then defeated fifth-seeded Becker to record its first postseason win before nearly pulling off an upset against top-seeded Eastern Nazarene College in the semifinals. 

Schaeffer's first recruiting class played a prominent role in the team's success. He stacked his roster with talent from all over the country, bringing in 13 newcomers to bolster the program. The influx of players produced competitive practices that translated into better performance on the court. Seven of the nine players who saw the most playing time were new, and rookie Olivia DeLoach was recognized with all-conference honors.  

Schaeffer, who was hired in March 2018, made his collegiate head coaching debut with the Mariners later that fall. Under his guidance, Mitchell won a pair of conference games and qualified for the New England Collegiate Conference Championship as the eighth seed.

Schaeffer served as an assistant coach at Southern Connecticut State University for two seasons before joining the Mariners. Southern Connecticut State made tremendous strides in Schaeffer’s two years with the program. The Owls capped a historic 2017 season by advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in its first-ever appearance, finishing with an overall record of 24-11. While at SCSU he coached the NE-10 player of the year and multiple all-conference selections, including an AVCA All-American honorable mention.  

Prior to joining the SCSU staff, Schaeffer spent six years as a coach at both the scholastic and club levels. He was the head volleyball coach at Oak Hall School in 2014 where he led the team to its first playoff appearance since 2010 and finished the season second in its district.

Prior to Oak Hall, he served as head varsity volleyball coach at West Port High School in Ocala, Fla., and helped lead the Wolf Pack to back-to-back district titles in Class 8A and District I. Schaeffer also help set a school record of 21 wins in 2012.

 A native of Ocala, Schaeffer possesses a bachelor’s degree in zoology/pre-veterinarian medicine from the University of Florida and a teaching certification in high school biology and chemistry.

 

 

 

Meet The Coach
Vinh Nguyen

Vinh Nguyen was named the next head coach of the Mitchell College women’s volleyball team in March 2026.

Nguyen arrives in New London following a seven-year tenure as head coach at the University of Hartford from 2018–25, where he guided the program to multiple individual accolades and sustained success both on and off the court. Under his leadership, Hartford produced a pair of conference Players of the Year, two All-Americans, a Rookie of the Year, and eight all-conference selections, along with 11 all-academic honorees. He also served on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) East Region Selection Committee and the AVCA Division I Head Coaches Committee.

Prior to his time at Hartford, Nguyen spent three seasons as associate head coach at the University of North Texas, where he played a key role in a Conference USA championship season in 2017 that saw the team post a 29–3 record. In that role, he served as recruiting coordinator and helped develop multiple award-winning players, including a two-time conference Player of the Year and All-American.

Nguyen also served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at California State University, Fullerton, helping the program capture the Big West Conference title in 2010.

His extensive coaching background includes experience at the international level as a staff member with the USA Men’s Olympic Team from 2005–07, where he assisted with preparation for major international competitions, including the World League and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

At the collegiate level, Nguyen previously spent time at Cal Poly Pomona, where he contributed to a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship team that finished 25–2 while helping develop multiple All-Americans and all-conference performers.

In addition to his collegiate and international experience, Nguyen founded and directed the Top Gun Volleyball Academy for 20 years, training more than 3,000 athletes and helping develop players who went on to compete at all levels of collegiate volleyball, including the Olympic stage.

Nguyen began his coaching career at the high school level in California and also served as an adjunct professor of kinesiology at Cal Poly Pomona. He earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Cal Poly Pomona in 2000.

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