STARKVILLE — Mississippi State volleyball coach David McFatrich announced Wednesday the additions of Diego Castaneda and Garrett Bitter to his coaching staff.
“I’m very excited to welcome Diego and Garrett to our Mississippi State volleyball family,” McFatrich said. “Not only do they each bring the experience and qualities I was looking for, such as integrity, social responsibility and great work ethic, they also share my passion for developing this program and a desire to give our volleyball student-athletes a wonderful collegiate experience.”
Castaneda and Bitter bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the program, as the two have become rising stars in the coaching ranks in the last several years.
“I started the search process without knowing anything about them, but their names kept popping up so I started doing my homework,” McFatrich said. “After a thorough check, I brought them in for interviews and felt strongly that they were a great fit and filled the needs I had. They each understand where this program is and where we’re heading. Also, it was important for me to find assistant coaches who were going to make me a better coach, and Diego and Garrett will do just that.”
Castaneda will be an assistant coach and MSU’s recruiting coordinator. He makes his way to Starkville via Athens, Georgia, where he spent last season as an assistant at Georgia.
Prior to joining Georgia’s staff, Castaneda spent three years at Wake Forest, where worked primarily with the middle blockers and liberos along. Castaneda was instrumental in a trio of Demon Deacons earning ACC honors while signing numerous top 150 recruits throughout his tenure. Castaneda also stayed heavily involved in the Winston-Salem volleyball community, taking the role of head coach of the Deacon Volleyball Academy.
Castaneda’s first assistant coaching position came at North Texas, where he helped the team achieve a 43-29 record in two
seasons.
Bitter comes to Starkville after spending last season as an assistant coach at Stony Brook. Three years before heading to New York, Bitter served as an assistant at IPFW.
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