Valparaiso volleyball head coach Carin Avery announced today that Adam Rykse and Nick Polite will join the Crusader coaching staff for the upcoming 2013 season.

"We are so excited to have two very talented young men join our program," said Avery. "They will be such an asset to us in the gym and also in the office. They could not have come at a more perfect time for us, with several newcomers and a large roster this year. Both Adam and Nick come to Valpo with great backgrounds, and we know they will help our team grow throughout the season."

Rykse will serve as a graduate assistant for Valpo in 2013, joining the Crusader staff after spending the 2012 season as an assistant coach at Muskegon C.C. He also served as a hitting instructor at Muskegon during the 2011 campaign, and was head coach of the Inside Out Juniors 17-1 squad in 2012-2013.

A graduate of Michigan State University, Rykse competed on its nationally-ranked club volleyball team for four years. He will pursue his master's in sports administration at Valparaiso.

Polite joins the Crusader coaching staff as an assistant coach after serving as an assistant coach at Indiana State in 2012, where he previously spent one year as a student manager and also spent time as a practice player. Last season, Polite was in charge of film analysis/exchange, travel coordination, statistical analysis and the defense for the Sycamores.

Polite also spent time in 2013 coaching at the newly-formed club Indiana Elite VBC, coaching both the 18 Elite and 14 Elite teams. He also has previously coached club volleyball at COA and Dunes. Polite was also the founder of Indiana State's men's club volleyball team, running its operations for three years. A 2012 graduate of Indiana State, Polite spent two seasons as a member of the Sycamores' track and field team.