Zoraida Heredia de la Cruz joined the Lion coaching staff in the fall of 2016.
During the 2016 season, the Lions improved their win total for the second consecutive year. They went 19-13 and were regionally ranked for the first time under head coach Craig Case. Ashley Mireles was named Libero of the Year and was also named First Team All-LSC. Taryn Driver was named Second Team All-LSC for the second time and Jaslyn Wacker was named an All-LSC Honorable Mention. The Lions were the fifth seed in the LSC Tournament.
Prior to joining the Lion coaching staff, Heredia began her coaching career as a student coach at MidAmerica Nazarene University during the 2015 season. The team advanced to the NAIA Tournament.
Prior to coaching, Heredia played two seasons at MNU and was named First Team All-Heart of America Athletic Conference as both a junior and a senior. Heredia was named a 2014 Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Second Team All-American as a senior. She was also named an Honorable Mention AVCA-NAIA All-American as a junior. In her junior year, the team won the HAAC postseason tournament and made a trip to the NAIA tournament, making it to the final round of pool play.
Heredia began her college career at Iowa Western Community College, where she earned NJCAA First-Team All-America honors.
Heredia graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from MNA in 2015. She is originally from Yamasa, Dominican Republic.
