Leanne Piscotty, Head Coach
Fourth Year

Former Penn State University standout Leanne (Kling) Piscotty will be returning for her fourth season as the head volleyball coach at Shippensburg University. She has transformed the program into a perennial PSAC Tournament contender, having recorded three consecutive seasons of at least 20 wins and an overall mark of 66-45 at the helm of the Lady Raiders.

Piscotty’s teams have never finished below .500 in conference play, as Shippensburg has posted an 18-15 mark in PSAC East competition since 2004. She has also guided six athletes to All-PSAC honors over her three seasons, including 2006 PSAC East Rookie of the Year Cindel Young.

During her first season at Shippensburg, Piscotty was honored as the PSAC Eastern Division Coach of the Year after the Lady Raiders had one of their best seasons ever. The team concluded with a 21-15 overall record, earning first-place in the PSAC Eastern Division and finishing as a runner-up at the PSAC Tournament. In 2005, Piscotty guided the Lady Raiders to a 21-17 mark that included a stretch of 10 wins over the final 11 matches of the season.

Last season, Piscotty helmed a 2006 team that set a new school record for victories in a season, finishing with a 24-13 record. The previous high mark for wins was 23, set in 1982. The Lady Raiders also finished the 2006 season with a 14-4 record at Heiges Field House.

Several athletes have eclipsed school records under the tutelage of Coach Piscotty. Missy Pierce finished her senior season in 2006 as the school’s career digs leader with 1,899, eclipsing the previous single-season totals of 2005 graduate Michelle Doughty, who had accumulated 1,683 digs over four seasons.

A native of Shippensburg, Piscotty was an assistant coach for two seasons at Bradley University. In her first season with the Braves, Piscotty helped produce the best single-season turnaround in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) history, improving the team from a 9-19 record in 1998 to a 20-6 record in 1999.

Following her graduation from Shippensburg High School, Piscotty played for Penn State from 1989-92 and was selected as an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) First-Team All-American in 1991 and 1992. A two-time All-Big Ten First-Team selection, Piscotty was named Big Ten Player of the Year as a senior in 1992 and was elected to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association (PVCA) Hall of Fame in 1993.

She is currently ranked in the top-10 in five career statistical categories including solo blocks (117, fifth), block assists (354, sixth), total blocks (471, sixth), blocks per game (1.22, seventh) and kills per game (3.31, eighth).

Her 1,274 kills also ranks at No. 11 in Penn State volleyball history while she also holds five single-season records. The Lady Lions’ 44-1 record in 1990 still stands as the school record for wins in a season during which they set the NCAA record for consecutive matches won.

Following her playing career, Piscotty spent two seasons as a student assistant coach from 1993-94 under her former coach, the legendary Russ Rose. While there, she assisted in producing Penn State’s first two national semifinal appearances in the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, including the program’s first-ever national championship appearance in 1993.

A member of the U.S. Olympic Festival team in 1990 and the 1993 U.S. National Team, Piscotty also played for the United States in the World University Games in 1993 and in the Italian Professional Volleyball League in 1994 and currently plays in the Chesapeake Bay Region in the Women’s United States Volleyball Association (USVBA).

Piscotty earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Penn State in 1997. She and her husband, Dan, currently reside in Mechanicsburg.

Abby Leonard, Assistant Coach
Second Year

Alma Mater: Juniata '06
Office: 717-477-1322
E-mail: ajleonard@ship.edu

The 2007 season will mark Leonard's second year as an assistant volleyball coach at Shippensburg. In her first season, she helped head coach Leanne Piscotty guide the Lady Raiders to a school-best 24 wins in 2006.

Leonard comes from Division III Juniata College where she was not only a standout player, but served as a student assistant for the men’s team.

As an assistant coach, she helped the team to the Molten Division III National Championships and a berth in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association semifinals.

She has also gained coaching experience as an instructor for Volleyball Express Camps and has worked at Shippensburg, California (Pa.), Penn State and Juniata volleyball camps.

In Leonard’s four seasons, Juniata posted a record of 145-13 and appeared in the national championship contest twice. On the court, she led the team in service aces and ranked second in digs during her senior season. Off the court she earned Dean’s List for three consecutive years and was named to the MASCAC Academic Honor Roll.

Leonard received a degree in elementary and special education from Juniata and currently teaching in the Big Spring School District. She currently lives in Carlisle.

Missy Pierce, Student Assistant
First Year

Entering her fifth year at Shippensburg and first as an assistant coach, Missy Pierce returns as one of the top Lady Raider volleyball athletes in school history.

In her senior season at Shippensburg, Piece was named All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Eastern Division First Team, marking the fourth consecutive season she was selected to the All-PSAC East squad. She is the only Lady Raider to achieve this feat.

Not only did Pierce lead her 2006 squad to a school record 24 victories, she also capped her career as the school‚s career digs leader with 1,899. She also finished second on the all-time kills list with 1,242, finishing just 97 kills shy of Alyssa Kilgore's 1,339. Pierce is also just the third player in Shippensburg history with 1,000 digs and kills.

Pierce finished the 2006 season ranked first on the team in games played (121), kills (411), service aces (50) and digs (469). Pierce's 3.40 kills per game average ranked ninth in the PSAC. She also ranked ninth in assists. An All-PSAC Eastern Division First Team selection in 2004 and Second Team honoree in 2003, Pierce led the team in digs per game in 2005 at 5.25 and was second in total digs despite missing 11 matches due to injury.

Pierce will graduate from Shippensburg in December 2007 with a degree in elementary education.