"Mary has done a tremendous job building our volleyball program over the 14 years she has served the students of Briar Cliff," said Briar Cliff athletic director Steve Gast. "She is a tremendous coach and has built a well-deserved reputation among her peers as being one of the most respected coaches in the area.  We are really going to miss her, but wish her well at Heelan.  I am fully confident that she will do a great job."

Miller, a native of Dubuque, Iowa, helped the Charger Volleyball Program become of the best in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC).  Miller came to Briar Cliff in 1996 and guided the program through 14 seasons.

Miller, then Schroeder, began her coaching career at Wakefield Community School in 1981, directing the team to a state tournament appearance in 1984. From 1985-92, she was the head volleyball coach at Hartington Cedar Catholic High School. Her teams compiled a 133-14 record, competed in three state tournaments and won the Nebraska Class C-1 State Championship in 1989.

Miller was cited by USA Today as a 1989 Coaches Division Achiever of the Year. In 1992, she left Hartington Cedar Catholic to become the head volleyball coach at Sioux City Heelan High School. Through 1994, her Crusader teams posted a 52-25-2 mark. She led them to a No. 1 ranking and a state tournament berth in 1994. She was also named CYO Coach of the Year.

Miller's ties to Briar Cliff ran deep as she was a four-sport athlete at Briar Cliff, competing in basketball, softball, tennis and volleyball. The 1981 graduate was a four-time first team All-Conference volleyball selection and a two-time All-Conference basketball selection at the Cliff. During her playing career with the Charger volleyball squad, she led them to four conference titles, a 57-3 record and two state championships. In 1979, they competed in the AIAW national tournament in Los Angeles. She earned team MVP honors as a sophomore and a senior and was named best offensive player in each of her first three seasons. In basketball, she was a two-time team MVP and ranks third on the Briar Cliff career rebounding chart.

Miller is a member of both the Dubuque Wahlert Volleyball Hall of Fame and the Briar Cliff Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2007, she was inducted into the Iowa High School Volleyball Hall of Fame for her exploits at Dubuque Wahlert.

A search for Briar Cliff's next volleyball coach will begin immediately.