KENOSHA, WIS.—Carthage College head men's volleyball coach LJ Marx will step down from his role after 15 seasons. As the only head coach in program history, Marx carries a 318-131 record that's resulted in 13 regular season championships, and six conference tournament titles between the Midwest-III Conference, Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) and Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL). The Red Men have qualified for the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Tournament five times since the varsity program's inception in 2005.

"It has been a wonderful 18 years at Carthage and I am looking forward to spending more quality time with my wife and two daughters.," said Marx. "I want to thank former Carthage College President Greg Campbell and Director of Athletics Robert Bonn for having the vision to add men's volleyball long before others did and giving me the opportunity to start the program. I can't thank the young men and their families enough for trusting me to help shape their futures and hopefully I had as much of a positive impact on them as they have on me. It has been an amazing opportunity and I will cherish all the relationships with the athletes and support staff that have developed over the years."
 
"The support at Carthage is tremendous and I am confident that Director of Athletics Michelle Manning and President Swallow will find an excellent coach to lead the program. The future is very bright for the Red Men," said Marx.
 
Marx has mentored a pair of AVCA Men's Division III Players of the Year, three AVCA Newcomers of the Year, as well as 39 All-American selections. The two-time AVCA Division III Men's Coach of the Year leaves the Red Men tied for 12^th place in career wins (318) among active coaches across all divisions. Carthage's .708 (318-131) winning percentage ranks them second all-time among Division III programs.
 
"I would like to thank LJ for all that he has achieved during his career at Carthage College," Athletic Director, Michelle Manning, said.  "I have enjoyed working with him and respect his commitment to excellence and his focus on student-athlete experience. His efforts has raised the Carthage Men's Volleyball team to being one of the best in the country and we are very proud of the sustained success of this program. We wish LJ and his family all the best in this next chapter of their lives."
 
A search for the next Red Men head volleyball coach will begin in the coming week(s).