NIU volleyball coach Herb Summers will not return for the fall season after being told last Monday that his contract will not be renewed.

Summers, who had been at NIU for six seasons, confirmed his departure Sunday but would not comment further on the situation.

Assistant coach Pam Mehrens will be with the team through May because of spring conditioning, which starts today. The team will start practicing Feb. 1 and its first spring game is Feb. 20.

“It was a surprise to everyone,” Mehrens said. “The situation is up in the air right now and I really do not know what will happen. Everyone is waiting for answers. Hopefully we can clear everything up so we can get into spring training.”

Because of the spring season, many of the players are worried about the near future. Summers did have recruits who verbally agreed to play for NIU and Mehrens said if those people are still interested the scholarships will still be there, but there is a chance the prospects will change their minds.

“We were shocked,” outside hitter Amy Garrett said about the release of Summers. “We are scared the administration is not thinking of us. It is hard to have a coach for three years and then see him leave.”

“We just don’t know much about it,” Beth Glisk said. “We are starting up today and we will just have to deal with it.”

Summers ended the 1987 season with a winning record, the first time in four years. The Huskies held a 19-16 overall record and lost only one senior.