ODESSA (June 7, 2021) – Odessa College announced today that Dayana Acevedo-Rios, former assistant volleyball coach at Iowa Western Community College (IWCC), has accepted the position as the new Odessa College head volleyball coach.
OC Athletic Director Wayne Baker said, “Dayana has a proven record with top five finishes in the NJCAA D1 National Tournament in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021. She has demonstrated success in recruiting, and this year she recruited the player of the year, a setter at Iowa Western. Dayana is energetic and well-prepared to transition to a head coaching role. Her success and personality will play an integral role in retaining and recruiting top-level student-athletes.”
After accepting the position, a smiling and enthusiastic Coach Dayana said, “I am beyond excited to join the Odessa College family! I cannot think of a better place to start my head coaching journey. This program has it all – great facilities, an amazing support system within the school and a welcoming community.”
Acevedo-Rios added, “Coach Gray has done a great job building this program to what it is today, and I’m honored to be chosen to follow in her footsteps and to lead the program into the future.”
Prior to accepting the head coach’s position with Odessa College, Acevedo-Rios served as the head assistant coach at Iowa Western Community College from July 2016 to June 2021. During that time, she helped their program to finish in 2nd place (2016), 3rd place (2018), 5th place (2019) and to win the NJCAA D1 National Volleyball Championship in 2021.
Acevedo-Rios has an associate’s degree in General Studies from Iowa Western Community College and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Texas – El Paso (UTEP). She also was a student athlete in the volleyball programs at both IWCC and UTEP.