BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar University's volleyball program had some realignment to its coaching staff, announced head coach Ariel Apolinario Wednesday afternoon.

The 2025 season officially begins Friday, Aug. 29 when the Cardinals travel to DeLand, Fla., for match against Northern Illinois at the Stetson tournament.

Graduate assistant Keishla "Kiki" Reyes will be transitioning to the second assistant coach.

Apolinario also hired two new faces to the program.

Andrew Strick was added as the associate head coach while Hannah Thompson will serve as the new graduate manager.

"This whole process took us a little while. I believe that we got the right people. I think that our girls will have an opportunity to be challenged in a way that they haven't been before," said Apolinario. "The changes that are happening now are because we are getting better. We are in a good position to continue growing more than anything else."

REYES PROMOTED

Reyes joined the LU coaching staff prior to the 2023 season after coaching club volleyball in Missouri for three seasons.

A graduate of the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kan., Reyes was also a former NJCAA Division III Player of the Year at Dallas College Eastfield in 2017.

Reyes played an integral role in helping the Cardinals reach the Southland Conference tournament in 2024 for the first time in 13 years.

"She's somebody that's very passionate about the sport and profession. For me, she's the connector," said Apolinario about Reyes. "She plays a big role in our success. She will be a rockstar in that role.

"I'm happy for coach Reyes. She's been through everything, the highs and lows, and somewhere in between. I believe that she is ready for that position."

FROM TENNESSEE TO TEXAS

Andrew Strick, a native of Westlake Village, Calif., spent the last six seasons with the Tennessee volleyball program.

He graduated from Pepperdine in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in sports medicine.

Strick spent four seasons on the Pepperdine men's volleyball staff where he served as a volunteer administrator.

He specializes in scouting, providing analytical data, live coding practice and aligning with video for review by the staff and players.

He earned his Master of Science in kinesiology in 2020 from Tennessee.

Since 2018, Strick has worked for both the men's and women's USA national teams.

In the summer of 2021, he traveled with the men's national team to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics where he was a statistician and scout.

"He's an extremely intelligent person. He's very big on numbers," Apolinario said about Strick. "He will allow us an opportunity to breakdown our game even further, which I'm personally excited about.

"He sees volleyball a little bit differently than I do. In many ways, that's part of why I believe that he will be a great fit to what we're trying to do."

FROM PLAYER TO GRADUATE ASSISTANT

Hannah Thompson, a native of South Jordan, Utah, most recently wrapped up her collegiate career in 2023 at Division II Texas A&M International in Laredo.

Named to the Lone Star Conference's all-tournament team, Thompson had 203 kills, seven assists and 23 service aces in 29 matches played during her final season.

Thompson began her collegiate career at Casper College in Wyoming.

She played and helped coach club volleyball in the Salt Lake City area.

"Hannah brings a lot of energy to the table. She's somebody that's extremely organized and somebody that's going to add a great deal of value behind closed doors," Apolinario said about Thompson. "Hannah is somebody that loves the sport and she loves people. I think that's something we all share."