Adelphi University Athletics

Danielle MacKnight begins her 18th year as the head coach of the Adelphi University women’s volleyball team in 2024.

She was tabbed the sixth head coach in program history in August of 2007, after serving as interim head coach for part of the 2006 season.

The 2022 was a milestone season as MacKnight led her squad to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history, after producing the Northeast-10 Conference Rookie and Libero of the Year. She saw a major award in each subsequent year in Libero and Setter of the Year. 

Over her first decade at the helm of the Panthers, MacKnight has built the Brown and Gold into a powerhouse in the East Region. The team has won three Northeast-10 Conference Championship titles (2011, 2014, 2015) and has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in all but one of her years at the helm.

In 12 of her 18 seasons leading the Panthers, MacKnight's teams have posted 20 or more wins, and she leads program history in career wins by a head coach.

In 10 years, MacKnight has seen multiple players earn All-Conference and All-Region honors by the ECC, NE10, East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC), Daktronics/D2CAA and AVCA. In her tenure, MacKnight has coached nine AVCA All-Americans, as Kaitlyn DeStefano ('15) was the first All-American in program history - a feat she accomplished twice - and one CoSIDA Academic All-American.

In her first year in 2007, MacKnight's team earned the school’s first ever NCAA Regional bid, as she earned East Coast Conference (ECC) Co-Coach of the Year and was honored by the Nassau County Sports Commission as Female College Coach of the Year. In 2009, MacKnight received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Thirty Under 30 Award as one of the top 30 coaches under the age of 30 in the nation at all levels, and she was also named the AVCA East Region Coach of the Year in 2015 - a season in which the team tied a program record for wins (27), won the NE10 title and hosted in the NCAA East Regional. She doubled up on the honor in 2022, after leading the team to the program's first Sweet Sixteen. 

Prior to being appointed as head coach, MacKnight had been an Adelphi assistant coach in 2005 and 2006, helping Adelphi to 31-25 overall record.

MacKnight earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Stony Brook in 2005, where she was a four-year member and starter on the Seawolves volleyball team from 2001-04. She graduated holding the school record for block assists in a career (318) and the single match record for attack percentage (.800), and ranked second all-time in total blocks (425) and third in blocks per game (1.06).
 
Born and raised in Valley Stream, N.Y., MacKnight attended Valley Stream Central High School where she lettered in both volleyball and basketball and won a gold medal in 2000 at the Empire State Games. MacKnight is also a graduate of Adelphi, receiving her master’s in physical education and teaching in 2007.

MacKnight's Year-by-Year Coaching Record
3 NE10 Titles; 8 NE10 Finals; 14 NCAA Appearances