Charlotte, NC - Following his 18th season as the head coach at Owens Community College, Sonny Lewis has been named the 2018 Tachikara NJCAA Division III Coach of the Year.
This season, Lewis led the Express to win the first NJCAA Volleyball National Championship in school history. With a 40-6 record, Lewis' team ended the 2018 season on a 15-game win streak. Lewis landed two student-athletes on the NJCAA DIII Volleyball All-America First Team this season - sophomore outside hitter Michaela Eisenhauer and sophomore setter Summer Sweeting. Owens finished the season ranked first in the NJCAA in team kills per set, with 12.63, and third in team hitting percentage and assists per set.
Prior to entering the NJCAA DIII Volleyball Championship tournament as the No. 1 seed, Owens won the District I championship, with three-set wins in all four matches of the tournament.
Lewis ranks among the top coaches in NJCAA volleyball history. He currently sits at fourth on the list of active coaching wins in the NJCAA Volleyball Record Book and ninth in all-time wins.
2018 Accomplishments
- NJCAA Division III Volleyball Championship Heidi Hutchinson Coach of the Tournament
- NJCAA Division III Volleyball National Champion
- AVCA Two-Year College Midwest Region Coaches of the Year