The touch of a pro: Danial Levent

You don't often get a chance to be coached by a professional. The Bearcats are getting their chance as Baruch alum and former professional volleyball player, Danial Levent, will return to Baruch as the women's volleyball assistant head coach.

"I am really thankful for having the opportunity to coach at Baruch. I am familiar with the staff and a few players so I can't imagine a more comfortable setting that I could have went into," said Levent.

Levent played for the Bearcats from 2005-2009, recording 108 victories while captaining the men's volleyball team to three CUNY Athletic Conference championships and earning the title of MVP of the CUNYAC Tournament all three times. He was also a first-team all-star in 2006 and a 2007 second-team all-star.

In 2009, Levent thrust the Bearcats past No. 3 ranked Rivier College in the Northeast Collegiate Volleyball Association Postseason tournament, propelling the Bearcats into the Top-15 in Div. III Men's Volleyball Poll.

Levent graduated from Baruch College in 2009 with a B.B.A. degree in International Marketing. However, he decided to become a professional volleyball player, signing a contract with Finland's Sun Volley Club.

Levent believes the experience he gained as a professional will help his coaching abilities.

"I think it will help a lot. I was able to meet a few Division I college players when I was out there who helped me out a lot and gave me a better understanding of the game," said Levent. "Also, their style of play really focused on being consistent and reducing errors. If we can do that we will be a very hard team to beat this year."

The Bearcats are already a tough team to beat, ending last season with a 26-9 overall record, first place in the CUNY Athletic Conference, and finishing second in the CUNYAC Championships. Levent and the dedicated coaching staff behind this team will try to add another championship title to the Bearcats.

Levent's arrival at this position wasn't a planned one. After one year of professional play, the former Bearcat decided to come back to New York and got the opportunity to work in a familiar setting.

"I wasn't planning it so much but it feels great to instruct and help these players," said Levent. "As amazing a lifestyle as it was I wanted to come back to New York and pursue a career in sports marketing and I thought this would be a great opportunity to get my foot in the door.

Baruch has a great program along with a dedicated coach in Allison Stack so it wasn't a very difficult decision for me to make."

Although the Bearcats have been performing well recently, Levent believes there is definitely room for improvement.

"There is always room for change on a team," said Levent. "Our strategies have changed a little bit, as we have put players in different positions. We are going to be focusing a lot on defense, because just like in any sport, defense wins games. At the same time we are working at improving in all aspects of the game and hope to be consistent in everything we do."

With these goals in mind, the Bearcats are hoping for a 2005 repeat, when they defeated Hunter at the CUNYAC tournament finals and were the champions for the first time since 1995. Levent is enthusiastic about achieving such success.

"I hope to see a lot of people at our matches because it's going to be an exciting season," said Levent.