ANNAPOLIS, Md. ---- Navy volleyball head coach Larry Bock announced today the hiring of Jeremy Sands as an assistant coach for the program.

"Jeremy has proven on a number of levels that he has the ability to advance teams both technically and tactically," said Bock. "He has accomplished this through leadership, hard work and unquestionable character. Jeremy will help us to continue building the championship culture we want Navy volleyball to attain."

"It is an incredible opportunity for me to be on the staff at the U.S. Naval Academy and the Navy volleyball program," said Sands. "I'm really excited to work with coach Bock, one of the greatest coaches in the game, and fellow assistant coach Steph Strauss, another fantastic up-and-coming coach. I look forward to helping the team achieve our goals and fostering a great culture on and off the court. This is a very good team with a lot of potential and I'm glad that I have the chance to help guide them to achieve great success."

Sands served as the head coach at St. Mary's (Md.) for the last two seasons. The Seahawks advanced to the semifinal round of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament in both of his seasons. The squad posted a combined record of 34-23 (17-10 in 2014, 17-13 in 2015) under his guidance.

A native of Pittston, Pa., Sands graduated from King's College (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) in 1997. He earned all-conference honors as a four-year member of the volleyball team while also serving as a student assistant with the school's women's program. Upon graduating, he immediately took the head coaching position at Centenary College (Hackettstown, N.J.). The team posted a 5-17 record in his lone season at the program's helm.

Sands left Centenary after one year to begin serving in the U.S. Army where he rose to the rank of Captain. As part of his service he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded the Bronze Star with "V" device for Valor and bravery in a combat theater. His actions and the actions of his unit were represented in the book "A Soldier's Promise."

After leaving the Army in 2004, he served as the head coach for the All-Army and All-Armed Forces volleyball team, which would win the bronze medal at the 2005 USA Volleyball Championship. He also was the head coach of the men's club team at the U.S. Air Force Academy for two years ---- earning coach-of-the-year accolades on both the conference and national levels ---- as well as a volunteer assistant for the women's team at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Sands returned to the East Coast in 2007 to begin a six-year stint as an assistant coach for the Army West Point women's team. As the program's recruiting coordinator, he helped lead the team to its lone Patriot League title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009.

Sands earned a Bachelor of Science (psychology) from King's College in 1997, a Master of Arts (organizational psychology) from the Teacher's College, Columbia University in 2012 and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland, University College in 2015. Sands and his wife, Kaitlyn, who works at the Naval Academy Foundation, are the proud parents of Maya and Hailey.