Michael Haars enters his first season as interim head coach of Jacksonville State beach volleyball in the Spring of 2023. His hiring was announced on March 9, 2023, just ahead of the Gamecocks’ season opener.
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"(Haars and his wife/assistant, Shelbie) are very excited to be a part of the beach program this Spring at Jacksonville State," Haars said. "We're looking forward to helping develop the players' abilities and preparing them for the next chapters in their careers at Jax State and beyond. Our goal is to establish a culture of support and competitiveness while giving them the tools needed to compete at the highest level possible."
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Haars has over a decade of experience coaching club volleyball on both the beach and indoor circuits. He has served as a director with Alabama Performance Beach Volleyball in Bessemer since 2019, leading several successful youth squads as their head coach. Aside from his work with APBV, the Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native has led numerous youth programs such as the Columbus Volleyball Club, Team Sting Sand Elite, and SPVB Beach.
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Haars attended Auburn University from 2007-11, where he was an outside hitter and setter for the Tigers' club team. He helped start that program on the Plains while obtaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering. As a player, Haars competed in Men's Open Beach 4's/2's and Grass 3's tournaments across the south and northeast hosted by AVP America. In addition, he earned international, professional playing and training experience in Italy and Slovenia with Bring It Promotions in 2012.
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The longtime club volleyball coach has a day job as a NASA engineer and is married to Jax State's newest assistant coach, Shelbie Dailey. They have two sons: Michael Jr. (MJ) and Jacob (JBo).
