Hamline University volleyball coach Audrey Ludwig is moving on up … and HU athletic director Jason Verdugo couldn’t be happier about it.
 
Ludwig, whose third season at the Piper helm saw her team double their victory from nine to 18 and set a school record for most consecutive wins, is leaving the school to take an assistant coaching job at the University of Maryland. Her first day at her new post is  February 11. “It’s bittersweet. It’s hard to leave here because I am proud of what we were building,” Ludwig said. “At the same time, I’m going to a program that will be in the Big 10 in a year. That’s very exciting.”
 
Ludwig’s duties at Maryland will include recruiting – something she did very well in helping to resurrect the Piper volleyball fortunes. Despite having the youngest team in the league (two juniors, no seniors), HU won a school record eight straight matches to start the 2012 season. The Pipers lost just once in four tournaments entered (including a win over UW-LaCrosse on the latter’s floor) and went on to record an 18-12 overall won-loss mark. That figure is the most wins by a HU volleyball team in 17 seasons.
 
That was a huge improvement over 2011 when the team went 9-19.
 
Verdugo also sees the move as somewhat bittersweet. “Audrey did a tremendous job in getting the volleyball program moving in the right direction. There is a terrific nucleus of committed student-athletes here … and she deserves credit for that. So I hate to see her go,” he said. “At the same time, I’m very supportive of her desire to transition to the Big 10 and a Division I program. All of us here are very happy for her personally and professionally.”
 
Verdugo said the search for a new coach would begin immediately.