Wells Adds Yaglioglu to Staff As Assistant Coach
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia volleyball head coach Shannon Wells announced the hiring of Tilbe Yaglioglu as an assistant coach on Monday (Feb. 17). Yaglioglu comes to Virginia after spending three seasons at Robert Morris.
“We are very excited to add Tilbe to our program. Tilbe is a relentless learner, tireless worker, and has a unique ability to make connections with everyone she comes across,” Wells said. “She is going to help us take our recruiting to the next level with a focus on building our brand across all our social media accounts and innovative strategies needed as our recruits’ needs continue to change. She was raised in a gym, and her international experience and unique outlook on training will be an asset in our gym.”
During her time at Robert Morris, Yaglioglu helped guide five Colonials to Horizon League All-Academic team honors while helping Natalie Stepanovich become the first player in program history to be named to the Horizon League All-Freshman squad.
Yaglioglu joined the RMU coaching staff after spending the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Eastern Mennonite University. She served as offensive coordinator with the Royals while also coaching the setters. Yaglioglu helped EMU rank second in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) in both kills and assists per set.
In addition to her coaching duties at EMU, Yaglioglu oversaw travel, fundraising, social media and academics while also assisting in recruiting. During her two years with the Royals, Yaglioglu helped secure 11 student-athletes and helped the Eastern Mennonite volleyball team record a 3.50 grade point average (GPA) during the 2020-21 academic year.
Yaglioglu, a native of Hamm, Germany, is a 2020 graduate of James Madison with a bachelor of science degree in communication studies. She is also pursuing a master of arts degree in organizational leadership from Eastern Mennonite University.
While a student-athlete with the Dukes, Yaglioglu was a three-year starter at setter from 2016-18, appearing in 87 matches (315 sets) and amassing career totals of 1,212 assists, 613 digs and 76 service aces. JMU earned consecutive Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament titles (2016, 2017) and subsequent bids to the NCAA Tournament her first two seasons, and the Dukes posted an overall record of 66-24 (.733) during Yaglioglu’s three years with the program. She began her NCAA Division I career at Eastern Washington in 2015, appearing in 26 matches as the reserve setter, compiling 248 assists and 62 digs.
Yaglioglu spent a year in Turkey playing volleyball with Sariyer Belediyesi before her season with the Eagles. She is from a volleyball family. Her mother, Yurdagül, played for the Turkish National Team from 1980-86, and her father, Suha Sami, competed for the Turkish First League Club from 1976-81 and well as the German First League Club from 1982-85. Since the conclusion of his playing career, Sami has been a volleyball coach in the pro and developmental ranks for more than 40 years.