April 22, 2022…Welland – The Niagara College Knights have hired St. Catharines native, Steve Stone, as the new head coach of the men's volleyball program.
Stone is no stranger to Niagara College or the men's volleyball program. A graduate of Recreation and Leisure, Stone donned a Knights jersey for three seasons and collected a few accolades along the way.Stone will take over for Tommy Sloan, who coached both the men's and women's programs at Niagara for 2021-2022. Sloan will now shift to focus solely on the Knights women for 2022-2023.
In 2009-2010 Stone began his Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) playing career with the Knights before moving over to Redeemer in 2010 - 2011 where he captured OCAA silver.
The 6'2 setter rejoined the Knights in 2014 and captained them to OCAA gold and Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) bronze – the first ever CCAA medal for the men's volleyball program. 
Stone's other accolades during his last two seasons with the Knights include;
- Five OCAA Awards including two-time OCAA All-Academic, First and Second Team All-Star.
- Two-time CCAA Academic All- Canadian and CCAA Scholar Athlete.
- 2014 -2015 Knights Leadership Award and Top Scholastic Award
Stone's coaching career began when he briefly stepped away as a player and began coaching in 2013 with the Niagara Rapids Volleyball club. Along with the Rapids, Stone also served as an assistant coach to the Brock University women's volleyball program. After his time as a student-athlete at Niagara, Stone continued to stay involved in the sport and the college by signing on as an assistant with the Knights women's program in 2016-2017.
Stone got his first big break in the OCAA as a head coach with Mohawk College men's volleyball program in 2017 before returning to coach the Niagara Rapids U18 boy's program in 2019.
For Stone, the opportunity to return to his alma mater in a head coach position was a dream that became a reality.
"To be an alumni of Niagara College men's volleyball program and to now step into this position is a dream come true," says Stone.
"The community of Niagara has invested so much into me as an athlete and as a human being. The opportunity to invest back into that community, into the program and into the athletes is something I do not take lightly. Niagara is my home, and it brings me great joy to be back and representing the Knights."
Stone knows his work will be cut out for him coming in as a new face and creating his team's culture during the off-season.
"This is a transition period for the athletes and myself," says Stone.
"The biggest thing for the summer and the fall is getting acquainted with each other, getting on the same page regarding goals, systems, language, expectations etc. We have a good group of solid returning athletes and some incoming athletes as well. It's going to be a fun and competitive group to work with. The goal will always be to grow as people and athletes, and to compete and win at the highest level."
For Athletic Director Michele O'Keefe, the hiring of Stone is an exciting one, especially being an alumnus and local to the Niagara region.
"We welcome Steve back to our Knights team," says O'Keefe. "As a proud alum, Steve understands the culture we are working to strengthen at Niagara College and will fit easily in with our team. His work at the club level will allow him to step right into the recruiting world and no doubt continue to build our strong foundation with our men's volleyball team.
Thank you to Tommy Sloan who took the lead of both our women's and men's teams for the past season. It was a heavy load, and we appreciate his commitment to the Knights volleyball program."
Stone will become the ninth head coach of the men's volleyball program when he begins June 1st.
The Knights wrapped up their 2021-2022 campaign with a 3-6 record and an early exist from the post-season in what was a whirlwind of a season in the OCAA.
