Michaele Blackburn begins her first season as the assistant coach at Northern Kentucky University. Blackburn arrives at NKU after enjoying a stellar four-year playing career as the starting libero at Ohio University, where she finished as the Bobcats’ all-time leader in digs (2,091).

A 2003 graduate of Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati, Blackburn led the Lions to the 2002 state championship. She signed with Ohio and helped the Bobcats win four consecutive Mid-American Conference championships.

Blackburn earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team in 2003 after collecting 468 digs. As a junior, she set an Ohio single-season record by posting 612 digs as the Bobcats advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. In the Sweet 16 match against Arizona, Blackburn finished with 21 digs.

A year ago, Blackburn recorded a team-leading 540 digs and played a major role in Ohio’s 28-5 finish. The Bobcats posted a 16-0 record in the MAC and captured the league title for the fourth time in her career. During her career, Ohio posted a 118-16 overall record and a 63-1 mark in the MAC. Blackburn also finished in the top 25 all-time in NCAA history in digs.

Blackburn, who was an All-American club player in 2002 for NKU head coach Carlos Chia as a member of the AAU national champion Cincinnati Bullets, graduated from Ohio last spring with a biological sciences degree in pre-dentistry.

NEW NKU ASSISTANT COACH DIGS VOLLEYBALL FEATURE STORY

Michaele Blackburn (left) is in her first season as an assistant coach at NKU after enjoying a stellar four-year playing career as the starting libero at Ohio University, where she finished as the Bobcats’ all-time leader in digs (2,091). Blackburn helped the Bobcats win four consecutive Mid-American Conference championships and earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team in 2003 after collecting 468 digs. As a junior, she set an Ohio single-season record by posting 612 digs as the Bobcats advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. In the Sweet 16 match against Arizona, Blackburn finished with 21 digs. As a senior, Blackburn recorded a team-leading 540 digs and played a major role in Ohio’s 28-5 finish. The Bobcats posted a 16-0 record in the MAC and captured the league title for the fourth time in her career. During her career, Ohio posted a 118-16 overall record and a 63-1 mark in the MAC. The Cincinnati Ursuline Academy product also finished in the top 25 all-time in NCAA history in digs. (Photo courtesy of Ohio University Sports Information)