Rutgers named Caitlin Schweihofer its new head volleyball coach Thursday, tabbing the Pennsylvania native to turning around a program that has struggled mightily since joining the powerhouse Big Ten, but also boasts positive momentum for the first time in years.

Schweihofer takes over the Scarlet Knights after one year at Northeastern and a five-year stint at LaSalle, where she was the 2018 Atlantic 10 coach of the year. She fits athletics director Pat Hobbs’ preferred hiring blueprint as a young coach with program-building experience at the mid-major level and replaces C.J. Werneke, whose contract was not renewed after 12 seasons.

“Caitlin has elevated programs and orchestrated turnarounds at each stop throughout her career, and as much as her teams have succeeded on the court, she has always placed a high priority on academics and overall student-athlete development," Hobbs said in a release. "We are excited to bring her aboard as we compete in the best volleyball league in the nation.”

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Schweihofer, a Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, native, was a team captain at St. John’s. LaSalle steadily improved over her five seasons as head coach from 2014-18, culminating in an 18-12 finish in her final season that saw the Explorers post the most wins in 20 years and qualify for the Atlantic 10 Tournament for the first time. Schweihofer then moved to Northeastern last year, going 15-14.

Schweihofer has this going for her at Rutgers: There’s nowhere to go but up. The Scarlet Knights are 3-117 in Big Ten competition since joining the league - a record that reflects the less-than-ideal mash-up he program’s traditional lack of resources and recruiting base and the nation’s toughest conference for the sport. The Big Ten had two teams in last season’s Final Four - Minnesota and Wisconsin - as well as four teams in the top-10 of the final national rankings and five in the final top-25. Nebraska and Penn State have combined to win 10 national titles since 2000 and a Big Ten member has appeared in the national final 17 times in the same span.

But Rutgers won two Big Ten matches for the first time in program history this past season and its 8-23 overall finish was its best finish since its last winning season in 2012, when the Scarlet Knights went 18-12. Rutgers is also expected to return four of its top-six point scorers.

“From the minute I came to campus to meet with the search committee, I could feel the overwhelming enthusiasm and sense of family in the Rutgers athletic community,” Schweihofer said in a release. “There was also an obvious passion for the work being done within the athletic department to create a strong student-athlete experience. A heartfelt thanks to Pat Hobbs, (deputy director of athletics) Sarah Baumgartner, (sport administrator) Kate Hickey and the rest of the search committee for the opportunity to be Rutgers volleyball new leader. I greatly appreciate their trust and support, as we look to usher Rutgers volleyball into a new era of success."

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James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.