CALIFORNIA (March 21) – California University of Pennsylvania announced the hiring of Peter Letourneau as the new head volleyball coach on Monday morning. Letourneau is the sixth head coach since 1991, following Stephanie Burner, who completed her third year with the team in 2010.

“We are very excited to have Peter as our new volleyball coach,” said Cal U Athletic Director Tom Pucci. “He comes to us with an excellent career at the NCAA Division III level and we look forward to him being very successful here.”

Letourneau takes over a volleyball program after six years as the head coach at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Md. He also served as the assistant volleyball coach at Division I Rutgers University in 2004.

“I'm excited and honored to accept the position of head volleyball coach at California University of Pennsylvania,” said Letourneau. “I am impressed by the way the team has bonded together during this transition period. I also believe the team's work ethic and culture will serve us well as we move forward in our preparing for the 2011 season.”

While at Frostburg State, Letourneau posted a 144-61 record (.702) with 93 wins over the last three seasons. He led the Bobcats to four-straight conference tournament titles as a member of both the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) and Capital Athletic Conference (CAC). Frostburg State also made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four years and advanced to the regional championship for the first time in school history in 2010.

After leading the program to its first 30-win season since 2004, he was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year. The following year, Letourneau received CAC Coach of the Year honors after Frostburg State went 36-4 behind the play of CAC Player of the Year and Academic All-American Sarah Stephens.

Letourneau served as the assistant coach at Rutgers in 2004 and helped the Scarlet Knights post a 16-10 overall record, which featured a nine-match road winning streak and an upset to eventual conference runner-up Pittsburgh.

Prior to his stint at Rutgers, he served as the head coach of both the men's and women's volleyball programs at Division III Stevenson University in Stephenson, Md., from 2001-03.

Letourneau gained valuable experience during his playing career. Over his six-year stint with the United States Air Force (1992-98), he was selected to the All-Services Volleyball Team and the All-Air Force Team (1994-95). He also played on the Florida Pro-Beach Volleyball Tour (1990-92) and began his playing career at East Stroudsburg University in 1989.

Letourneau, who graduated from Towson University in 2003, and his wife Barbara have a son, Nathaniel.