Volleyball: Kaszeta Joins Ragin’ Cajuns Volleyball Coaching Staff

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Volleyball head coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot announced the addition of Ben Kaszeta (pronounced kuh-zet-uh), a veteran with nearly two decades of coaching experience, as an assistant coach to the program’s coaching staff.
 
Kaszeta, who served as head coach at Minot State the past two seasons, has been involved in coaching volleyball at the collegiate level since 2007 and at all levels since 1998.
 
"He has been coaching at many different levels for a very long time," Mazeitis-Fontenot mentioned. "He brings a wealth of experience and will be handling our team defense. He has a passion for the defensive side of the ball and will bring that to our gym."
 
Kaszeta replaces Jenny Andrew who left the program in December to pursue other opportunities.
 
Joining the Ragin’ Cajuns coaching staff marks a return to the state of Louisiana for Kaszeta. He was an assistant coach at McNeese in 2013 under Terry Gamble, then moved on to Jacksonville State with Gamble in 2014 prior to accepting the job at Minot State in 2015.
 
"I am extremely excited and thankful to Coach (Heather) Mazeitis-Fontentot and the University administration for the opportunity to be part of the Ragin’ Cajuns family," Kaszeta stated. "The student-centered environment of the University is what attracted me to this position. It is great fit for me and I am truly excited for this next chapter in my life.
 
"I have passion and energy in everything I do," he added. "I attack each day with the same intensity and pride and I hope to pass that passion on to our student-athletes."
 
The Rochester, Mich., native and Eastern Michigan graduate began his collegiate coaching career as head coach at Mott (Mich.) Community College from 2007 through 2009 – the first of three collegiate head coach jobs he’s held.
 
After a one-year stay as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater (EMU) in 2009, where the Eagles experienced a record turnaround campaign, Kaszeta was the head coach at Lake Superior State for three seasons from 2010-12. He had three All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference players and eight GLIAC All-Academic players.
 
Kaszeta then transitioned to the NCAA Division I level and served as recruiting coordinator at McNeese and Jacksonville State. He helped the Cowgirls to a 17-16 record which represented a 10-win improvement from the previous season and a year later helped guide the Gamecocks to an 18-16 record increasing their win total by five.
 
Prior to his collegiate coaching, Kaszeta served as the junior varsity coach at Adams High School from 2000-2002 as well as the varsity head coach and camp director from 2002-2007. 
 
Kaszeta’s volleyball journey began at the club level when he founded Oxford Heat AAU Volleyball in 1998. He served as volleyball coach for the program from 1998-2005.
 
His club experience also includes the USA Volleyball Lakeshore Region High Performance team (2009-12), Huron Valley (2008-11) and Michigan Elite (2004-08).
 
Kaszeta won an AAU state championship with Michigan Elite’s 16U National Team and served as the head coach of the Huron Valley 17U National Team for four years. He also assisted with the Lakeshore Region Youth Select Team, which qualified for the USA Volleyball High Performance Championship in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He served as the program’s head coach in 2012 and led the team to a seventh place finish at the USAV HPC in Des Moines, Iowa.
 
Kaszeta received his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan in 2010. He is a USAV Cap 1 certified volleyball regional referee and certified lifeguard instructor with the American Red Cross.
 
For more information on Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns volleyball, as well as all of Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics, visit RaginCajuns.com. Fans can also follow along with the team on Facebook (/ULVolleyball), Twitter (@RaginCajunsVB) and Instagram (@RaginCajunsVB).