The Dodge City volleyball program has steadily improved and climbed the ranks of the KJCCC over the past few years and will look to continue that trend and take another step forward as Erin Mellinger takes over as head coach for the Conquistador volleyball team. 
 
Mellinger becomes the 17th head coach for the Dodge City volleyball program and takes over a program that finished 22-9 last season placing fourth in the KJCCC making the Region VI Semifinals. The Idaho native brings a vast amount of coaching experience with her to the Conquistadors from the high school to the JUCO and NAIA levels. During her coaching career has served as a head coach for eight seasons at the JUCO level and five more as an assistant. 
 
"I'm really excited about hiring Coach Mellinger here at Dodge City. I was fortunate enough to work with Erin in 2014 and realized how great she is as a volleyball coach, which is a big reason we wanted her here. With two national championships under her belt, she brings an impressive resume with her to Conquistador volleyball. I think there are some great things in the future for our volleyball program with Coach Mellinger at the helm," said Athletic Director, Jacob Ripple about the hiring of Mellinger as the head volleyball coach. 
 
Mellinger spent the past two years coaching at New Plymouth high school in Idaho and now returns to the collegiate ranks of coaching. She started her coaching career in the early 2000s working as a coach for club teams and as a graduate assistant at Chicago State University, along with serving as an assistant coach at the University of Great Falls. She started her collegiate head coaching career in the KJCCC taking over as head coach at Independence Community College in 2003 and led the Pirates to a 62-21 record over two seasons that included an NJCAA Region IV District K Championship and appearance at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament. After two seasons at Independence, she moved to the four-year level and coached her alma mater, Lewis-Clark State College (NAIA) for two seasons. 
 
After two years at Lewis-Clark State, she returned to the JUCO ranks and worked as an assistant coach at the College of Southern Idaho where she helped them go 148-48 with three national tournament appearances, two Region 18 championships, and an NJCAA National Championship in 2009. Her most successful seasons would come when she made the move to Blinn College in April of 2012. In three seasons at Blinn, she totaled a record of 106-11 making two NJCAA National Tournament appearances and winning national titles each year in 2013 and 2014 finishing with records of 39-3 and 40-1, respectively. She was named AVCA National Two-Year College Coach of the Year in 2014 and in 2014 and 2013 named AVCA Southwest Region Coach of the Year. She coached the 2014 NJCAA Female Athlete of the Year (Betti Jo Graber) award winner, along with having four All-Americans, 14 All-Region players, six NJCAA All-Tournament players, and two NJCAA All-Tournament MVPs. 
 
After leaving Blinn in May of 2015 and taking a few years off she returned to coaching in 2017 taking over her alma mater Treasure Valley Community College. She helped lead the team to their first NWAC Championship in over a decade in 2019. 
 
Mellinger knows the opportunity is a great one to coach at Dodge City and get back into coaching at the college level. 
 
"I'm excited about the opportunity to work with Dr. Nolte and Jacob Ripple again and work with all the great people that I've met at DC3 already. I feel we have a well-supported institution and athletic department that will help build our volleyball program into a national contender," said Mellinger on the opportunity to take over the DC3 volleyball program. 
 
Mellinger before her coaching days played at Treasure Valley Community College in Oregon where she was an outside hitter and defensive specialist. She helped the team in 1997 to the program's first appearance in the SWAC (Scenic West Athletic Conference) Tournament in 19 seasons. She finished her playing career at Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho where she helped the team win an NAIA Frontier Conference and Region I Tournament title and earn a trip to the NAIA National Tournament. She then transferred to Chicago State University to finish her playing career as a defensive specialist competing in the NCAA Division I Mid-Continent Conference. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Chicago State and her Master of Physical Education/Athletic Administration from Idaho State University. 
 
Mellinger hopes to continue the success of the Conquistador volleyball program and make an impact on the program and school. 
 
"I hope my competitive drive, my ability to teach on and off the court, along with my love for the game of volleyball will impact the DC3 volleyball program and the Conquistador athletic department. I hope to build a strong, competitive, and family-based atmosphere that will lead to competing for championships each year," said Mellinger.