PURCHASE, N.Y. - Purchase College Director of Athletics and Recreation Chris Bisignano is pleased to announce the hiring of Dean Bennett as the new head coach of the men's volleyball team.

Bennett joins the Panthers with years of Division III experience, both as a coach and administrator.

Most recently, Bennett worked for Pratt Institute as the Associate Women's Volleyball Head Coach and Activity Resource Center Facility Supervisor.

As the associate head coach, Dean helped restructure the culture of Pratt Athletics, specifically for men's and women's volleyball, oversaw the supervision of the coaching staff, created successful game-plans and strategies, and bolstered recruiting across both programs.

As the facility supervisor, Bennett maintained and inspected all areas of use to ensure safety and correct issues, and oversee student workers. Bennett had worked in both roles since January 2021.

Prior to join Pratt, Dean spent three years at Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey, serving as the Assistant Men's Volleyball Coach. While there, he aided in the planning, recruitment, scheduling and day-to-day maintenance of the team. 

Before Saint Elizabeth, Bennett graduated from Dean College with a degree in Business and Sport Management.

As for the team Bennett will be inheriting at Purchase - men's volleyball finished the 2022 season with a 7-15 overall record and a 6-8 mark in the Skyline Conference, missing the playoffs via a tiebreaker.

The Panthers bid farewell to four seniors last month, including their top two hitters, but are set to return six players.

Bennett will be taking over for Ryan Cole, who served as head coach since 2019 and lead the team to it's first and only Skyline Conference Championship appearance that same season.

The men's volleyball team and Bennett will take to the court for the first time in January 2023.