Rumely Noble Adds to Volleyball Coaching Staff
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Head volleyball Sarah Rumely Noble announced her first additions to her staff on Thursday, April 3. Joining the Gamecocks from Appalachian State are Connor Zimmick and Chanelle Hargreaves; both worked under Rumely Noble since the 2022 season with the Mountaineers.
“I am so excited to add Connor and Chanelle to my staff. They are both incredible coaches and role models for our student athletes. Their previous SEC experience as well as our staff dynamic will be a huge addition.”
Zimmick oversaw the middles and will continue in the same capacity at South Carolina along with primary scouting duties, Hargreaves will continue to work with the Gamecocks’ defensive specialists and liberos after spearheading the role at App State, and will lead the program’s recruiting efforts. Most recently, the duo helped guide App State to its first Sun Belt divisional title and a berth in the NIVC Tournament in 2024. The Mountaineers finished with an 18-10 overall mark, reaching 50 wins for the three seasons Zimmick and Hargreaves worked under Rumely Noble.
“Connor is a great coach and leader and has proven that by coaching multiple all-conference middles,” Rumely Noble said. “His energy in the gym and volleyball knowledge will help our team immediately.”
Through Zimmick’s work with the team’s middles, junior Maya Winterhoff became the seventh Mountaineer in program history to earn AVCA All-Region honors as well as a spot on First Team All-Sun Belt Conference in 2024. She paced the team’s offense with 2.85 kills per set and a league-leading hitting percentage of .372. Defensively, Winterhoff also made the conference’s top-10 in the blocks category with 108 (18 solo, 90 assists) in 2024 and the Mountaineers as a team recorded the three highest blocking totals over the program’s last decade. Zimmick also helped develop freshman Elise Marchal, who earned SBC Freshman of the Year. She joined Winterhoff as the second winner of the award during Rumely Noble’s tenure.
Zimmick joined the Mountaineers after two seasons as an assistant coach for Butler. While there, he was involved in player development, match scouting and recruiting for the Bulldogs, helping them earn a spot in the NIVC in 2021. His first coaching position out of school came as a graduate assistant at Kentucky for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, seeing the Wildcats advance to the NCAA Regional Semifinals both years.
Zimmick graduated from Wisconsin in 2018 with a degree in communications and earned a masters in Sports Leadership from Kentucky in 2019. While in school, he was a student manager for the volleyball program for the Badgers’ runs to the NCAA Regional Finals in 2016 and the NCAA Regional Semifinals in 2017.
Zimmick will be joined in Columbia by his wife, Molly, and son, Jack.
Hargreaves is no stranger to the Carolina Volleyball Center. She spent her collegiate career at Florida from 2016-19, an era where the Gators collected three SEC titles and made the national title match in 2017.
“Chanelle knows what it takes to win in the SEC. Having played at Florida in a National Championship, she will bring a wealth of knowledge of developing championship culture,” Rumely Noble said. “She is a great trainer in the gym and a great recruiter. She is passionate about culture and team dynamic and will impact our program on and off the court.”
The Mountaineers’ defensive specialists/libero units averaged over 14 digs per set in each of her three seasons on staff, while also helping improve the defense’s serve receiving numbers. The passing quality carried over to the App State offense, which posted two of its highest team hitting percentage totals over the last 10 seasons.
She earned her degree in sociology from Florida in May 2020 and received her Master’s degree in sports management from Florida in May 2022. While working towards her postgraduate degree, she worked with the Florida football program in recruiting and student-athlete development.
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