Abele was hired in January 2025 as head women's volleyball coach and the first-ever head coach for the men's volleyball program.
In his first season with the women's program, he led them to a fifth place finish in the ODAC, which was the best for the team in over a decade.
For the men's team, he led them to a 11-13 record in their inaugural season, including a home win over Bridgewater College in the team's first-ever home match.
Abele joined Shenandoah after serving as a volunteer women's volleyball assistant coach at Division I Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). During the 2024 season, the Rams achieved an 18-9 record overall, including a 16-2 mark in Atlantic 10 conference play. Under Abele's guidance, the Rams produced three All-Atlantic 10 recipients: Jasmine Knight and Julia Rienks earned First Team honors, while Lara Del Core received Second Team and All-Rookie citations. The team set a program record with 16 conference wins and secured the #2 seed in the A-10 tournament after finishing the regular season on a 14-game winning streak.
At VCU, Abele contributed to game-day operations, including warm-ups, in-game stat tracking, drawing up offensive plays during timeouts, and enhancing serve-receive and defensive/offensive systems. He also played a key role in player development, running position-specific drills and assisting with practice planning.
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Before his tenure at VCU, Abele spent the 2019 season as an assistant coach at Richard Bland College of William & Mary, where the Statesmen posted a 14-13 record.
A 2019 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), Abele played on the men's volleyball team and served as an assistant coach for the women's program. During his playing career, he was a two-time Royals Athlete of the Week, a two-time Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) Player of the Week, and a two-year captain. He earned 2019 All-CVC Second Team honors and ranks in EMU's top 10 for career kills, blocks, aces, digs, and assists. Abele also led player workouts and team recovery sessions, exemplifying leadership on and off the court.
In addition to his collegiate coaching and playing experience, Abele has coached at various levels, including serving as the head coach for the River City Volleyball Academy 17&18 National Girls team and as the junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach at Hanover High School.
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| Year |
Team |
Overall |
ODAC |
Place |
Year |
Team |
Overall |
ODAC |
Place |
| 2025 |
Women |
13-11 |
7-4 |
5th |
2026 |
Men |
11-13 |
5-11 |
7th |
| Total |
|
13-11 |
7-4 |
|
Total |
|
11-13 |
5-11 |
|
| Overall |
|
24-24 |
12-15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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