Hopkins Joins Volleyball Coaching Staff
6/4/2025 12:58:00 PM | Volleyball
MACON – First-year Mercer volleyball head coach Steve Benson continued to build the foundations of his coaching staff on Wednesday with the addition of former Averett standout and collegiate coaching veteran Meg Hopkins as an assistant coach.
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Hopkins treks to Middle Georgia from western Massachusetts where she has spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant coach for Smith College.
"Meg worked under a USA Volleyball national team coach while at Smith who highly recommended her for this position," Benson said. "She played using GMS philosophies and now uses those same principles as a coach. Meg is the perfect fit for what I'm building at Mercer University. Her ability to recruit, coach and connect with our student-athletes will create a great coaching staff for Bears Volleyball."
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A graduate transfer student-athlete for the Pioneers in 2023, Hopkins helped lead Smith to nearly 50 wins across the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, including a 31-win season as a part of the coaching staff in 2024 that culminated in the NCAA Division III Championships. Smith ranked among the nation's top 15 teams in four statistical categories amid the magical 2024 run, including an impressive 390 service aces (2nd NCAA). The Pioneers also ranked third, nationally, with 390 kills and sixth with a .270 hitting percentage.
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Hopkins logged 311 assists and 168 digs across 19 matches as a freshman at Averett before transferring to Appalachian State where she participated primarily as a part of the club organization for the Mountaineers. She played in 27 matches (23 starts) as a senior at Smith, accumulating 500 assists and 184 digs as the squad's primary setter.
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A native of Matthews, N.C., Hopkins earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Appalachian State in 2023, and completed her graduate work in sports and exercise at Smith in 2025.
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Hopkins treks to Middle Georgia from western Massachusetts where she has spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant coach for Smith College.
"Meg worked under a USA Volleyball national team coach while at Smith who highly recommended her for this position," Benson said. "She played using GMS philosophies and now uses those same principles as a coach. Meg is the perfect fit for what I'm building at Mercer University. Her ability to recruit, coach and connect with our student-athletes will create a great coaching staff for Bears Volleyball."
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A graduate transfer student-athlete for the Pioneers in 2023, Hopkins helped lead Smith to nearly 50 wins across the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, including a 31-win season as a part of the coaching staff in 2024 that culminated in the NCAA Division III Championships. Smith ranked among the nation's top 15 teams in four statistical categories amid the magical 2024 run, including an impressive 390 service aces (2nd NCAA). The Pioneers also ranked third, nationally, with 390 kills and sixth with a .270 hitting percentage.
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Hopkins logged 311 assists and 168 digs across 19 matches as a freshman at Averett before transferring to Appalachian State where she participated primarily as a part of the club organization for the Mountaineers. She played in 27 matches (23 starts) as a senior at Smith, accumulating 500 assists and 184 digs as the squad's primary setter.
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A native of Matthews, N.C., Hopkins earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Appalachian State in 2023, and completed her graduate work in sports and exercise at Smith in 2025.
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