Sabrina Hernandez, Ben Somera Named Assistant Volleyball Coaches
May 5, 1999
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State has named Sabrina Hernandez and Ben Somera assistant volleyball coaches, head volleyball coach Nancy Somera announced Wednesday.
Hernandez was an All-American setter at Long Beach State, while Ben Somera was an assistant coach at Southern California before leaving the coaching field for a couple of years.
"Sabrina comes from a national championship program. The excellent training she received and her competitive experiences will benefit our athletes," Nancy Somera said.
Hernandez played for the 49ers from 1989-92 and was an All-American as a junior and senior. Long Beach State won the NCAA championship in 1989 and advanced to the final four in 1991 and 1992.
She ranks in the top 10 at LBSU for career assists, service aces and digs and holds the school record for single-match assists.
Prior to joining the Oregon State staff, Hernandez had served as the club director at Club Long Beach since November, 1997. She also coached the 18-under team at the club.
"She has a lot of coaching experience in the club circuit, and those contacts will help us in recruiting," Nancy Somera said. "Sabrina is extremely competitive and her experience as a player and coach in the setter position will complement our staff well."
In addition to her collegiate action, Hernandez played professionally in 1996 and 1997. She played for the Colorado Thunder of the NVA Professional League from Dec. 96-May 97 and helped the team to the NVA Championships. She also played professional beach volleyball for the four-person NORELCO team in May and June of 1997.
Ben Somera had spent the last three years working in sales in the Los Angeles area, but prior to entering the sales business, he was an assistant coach at USC from 1995-96. While at USC, he was responsible for the training of the middle blockers. His other duties included scouting and recruiting, and he also served as the coach of the 16-under team at the Santa Monica Beach Club from 1995-97.
"Ben has had coaching experience at all levels, and he was eager to return to the coaching profession. He missed it," Nancy Somera said. "He is a very good teacher and his approach to teaching the fundamentals of the game has produced positive results."
He was a sales representative at Berry Plastics Corporation from 1998 until moving to Corvallis. He was responsible for managing a four-million-dollar territory and developed 800,000 dollars of new business for the company.
"I believe that Ben's experience in sales will help with his administrative and recruiting duties," Nancy said.
Ben, Nancys husband, also spent two years at Nelson Packaging as a sales rep before moving to Berry Plastics.
He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from USC in 1995.
Hernandez received a bachelor's degree in history from Long Beach State in 1994.
