Pacheco Will Not Return as Hampton Volleyball Head Coach; Tlelima to Lead Pirates for Remainder of Season
10.8.26 | Volleyball
HAMPTON, Va. (Oct. 8, 2026) ... Ronaldo Pacheco will not return as head coach of the Hampton University volleyball program, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Anthony D. Henderson, Sr. announced Thursday. Pacheco stepped away from the program a few weeks ago.
Gabrielle Tlelima (née Calloway) will remain interim head coach for the rest of the 2026 season. When the season ends, Hampton Athletics will begin a national search for the program's next head coach.
"We are grateful to Coach Pacheco for the work he put into Hampton Volleyball over the past two years," Henderson said. "He raised the competitiveness of this program and built a foundation it can keep building on. We thank him for his commitment to our student-athletes and to Hampton University, and we wish him and his family the very best.
"Coach Tlelima has led this team with steadiness, and our student-athletes have responded. She has our full support as she guides the Pirates through the rest of the season. When the season ends, we will run a thorough national search for a leader who will build on that foundation and help our volleyball program compete for championships."
Tlelima came back to her alma mater in 2025 as an assistant coach. She was elevated to interim head coach when Pacheco stepped away. Before returning to Hampton, she spent two seasons (2023-25) as an assistant coach at Oral Roberts University.
A Williamsburg, Va., native, Tlelima played four years for the Pirates. She was team captain from 2019 to 2022 and a two-time team MVP. She finished her career with 695 kills, 714 digs and 76 service aces. She won the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award in 2021, and in 2022 Hampton's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee gave her its Golden Rule Award.
Tlelima started coaching while she was still a student at Hampton. She assisted with the Williamsburg Volleyball Club for four years, and in 2021 she was head coach of the Queens Lake Middle School volleyball team. She holds two Hampton degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (2022) and a Master of Science in Sports Administration (2023).
The Pirates continue their season under Tlelima on Friday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m., when they play at Charleston.
Gabrielle Tlelima (née Calloway) will remain interim head coach for the rest of the 2026 season. When the season ends, Hampton Athletics will begin a national search for the program's next head coach.
"We are grateful to Coach Pacheco for the work he put into Hampton Volleyball over the past two years," Henderson said. "He raised the competitiveness of this program and built a foundation it can keep building on. We thank him for his commitment to our student-athletes and to Hampton University, and we wish him and his family the very best.
"Coach Tlelima has led this team with steadiness, and our student-athletes have responded. She has our full support as she guides the Pirates through the rest of the season. When the season ends, we will run a thorough national search for a leader who will build on that foundation and help our volleyball program compete for championships."
Tlelima came back to her alma mater in 2025 as an assistant coach. She was elevated to interim head coach when Pacheco stepped away. Before returning to Hampton, she spent two seasons (2023-25) as an assistant coach at Oral Roberts University.
A Williamsburg, Va., native, Tlelima played four years for the Pirates. She was team captain from 2019 to 2022 and a two-time team MVP. She finished her career with 695 kills, 714 digs and 76 service aces. She won the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award in 2021, and in 2022 Hampton's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee gave her its Golden Rule Award.
Tlelima started coaching while she was still a student at Hampton. She assisted with the Williamsburg Volleyball Club for four years, and in 2021 she was head coach of the Queens Lake Middle School volleyball team. She holds two Hampton degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (2022) and a Master of Science in Sports Administration (2023).
The Pirates continue their season under Tlelima on Friday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m., when they play at Charleston.
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