Heather Benson was named the head women’s volleyball coach at Keystone College in April 2025 and also serves as the athletic department’s Compliance Coordinator.
Benson arrives at Keystone after a highly successful 2024 season as head women’s volleyball coach at Maine Maritime Academy, where she guided the Mariners to a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) championship and an NCAA Tournament berth. In her lone season, she became the first coach in program history to win a conference title in her first year. Under her leadership, Maine Maritime produced two nationally ranked student-athletes (hitting percentage and triple-doubles), the NAC Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year, and multiple weekly conference award recipients.
Prior to her time at Maine Maritime, Benson served as the head women’s volleyball coach at Thiel College during the 2023 season.
Benson also gained collegiate coaching experience as an assistant coach at Bryn Mawr College in 2022 and at Susquehanna University in 2021. At Susquehanna, she helped the River Hawks post a 24-7 record and qualify for the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The team went 2-1 in NCAA play, defeating Maine Maritime in the opening round and earning a 3-1 victory over 25th-ranked Bowdoin before falling to MIT in the Sweet 16.
From 2012–2019, Benson served as the girls’ volleyball coach at Freedom High School in South Riding, Virginia. She led the Eagles to an unprecedented run to the state semifinal match in 2018 and was named LoCo Sports Volleyball Coach of the Year and Region 5A Coach of the Year. Four players from that 2018 team went on to play collegiate volleyball, including three at the Division I level.
In addition to her coaching background, Benson brings extensive experience in education and program leadership. She taught secondary science for Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia from 2011 onward and was a member of the LCPS Curriculum Development Committee for Earth Science. She developed the district’s first LCPS Science Symposium, which featured more than 20 local professional reviewers, and co-taught a dual-enrollment GIS course with faculty from James Madison University. Benson also spent four years as Manager of Science Outreach for Research!America and served as Program Director for the HOBY Leadership Conference. Internationally, she taught conversational American English to high school students at Lycée Chanzy in Charleville-Mézières, France.
Benson earned a master’s degree in public communication from American University in 2007 and completed undergraduate degrees in general science, musical theater, and French at the University of South Carolina in 2005. While at USC, she served as president and coach of the university’s women’s club volleyball team.
KEYSTONE RECORD
| 2025 |
3-24 Overall |
2-8 United East |
|
1 Season 3-24 Overall (.111)/ 2-8 United East (.200)
Overall Head Coaching Record: 21-39 (.350)
