Just as the MSU volleyball players returned to normal after ending their season two weeks ago, they discovered Thursday head coach Chuck Erbe will not return next season.

Junior middle Megan Wallin said Erbe's contributions would be remembered at MSU as the team looked to its future under the leadership of a new coach.

"He's helped our program in so many ways," Wallin said. "I'm looking forward to how next season goes."

Erbe announced his retirement after 12 seasons with MSU. He said he planned on spending more time with his family after being involved in volleyball for the past 35 years.

During his tenure with the Spartans, Erbe lifted the program from 10th place in the Big Ten in 1993 to conference champions and NCAA semifinalists two years later. The team had 10 consecutive appearances at the NCAA Tournament before this season, when the Spartans ended their season 12-16 overall and 7-13 Big Ten.

Before coming to East Lansing, Erbe coached Southern Cal to a NCAA championship and three Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championships.

Junior middle Brooke Langston said she respected what Erbe had given the program during his time at MSU and said the team would adapt well to the coaching change.

"This year has been instrumental for our team chemistry," Langston said. "It should be interesting to see what happens when a new coach steps in.

"He's taught us a ton."

Both players said they were surprised by the announcement.

Assistant coach Daune Rensing will step in as interim coach until the athletic department hires a new head coach. The search for a new head coach will be nation-wide because the position is considered prominent within the volleyball field, according to MSU assistant athletic director Shelley Appelbaum. While the search is still being organized, a decision should be made quickly.

When that decision is made, it should add energy to the program, Rensing said.

"Whenever you have a coaching change, there is excitement," she said.

Rensing said she was indebted to Erbe for all he was able to teach her about volleyball, calling him a world renown volleyball technician.

"He's had the best career and he's helped me develop my skills in so many ways," Rensing said.

Volleyball recruit Amanda Hantouli said she was shocked and disappointed by the news that Erbe had retired.

"He was a pretty big factor in my decision to go to MSU because you have to like the head coach enough to say, 'Yeah, I can play for him for four years,'" Hantouli said. "It stinks because he recruited me to play for him and now I will have to meet a new coach."

But Hantouli was not shaken in her resolve to play at MSU.

"I don't think their record justified how good they are," Hantouli said. "If you saw them play, they were such a young team and they kept up anyway."

As the search for a new coach begins, Rensing said she hopes the new coach will have extensive knowledge of volleyball techniques like their predecessor.

"It'll be hard to fill the shoes of Chuck Erbe," she said.