Sharon Bonaventure
Head Coach
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Sharon Bonaventure completed her second season as head coach of the Franklin Pierce University volleyball program in 2007. Bonaventure also serves as the senior women’s administrator at the University.

Franklin Pierce finished the 2007 season with an 18-16 overall record, including a 10-4 mark in the Northeast-10 Conference. The Ravens finished the regular season in fourth place in the conference, the highest finish in program history, and reached the conference tournament for the third consecutive season. The team also ended the year ranked eighth in the final NCAA Div. II Northeast Regional poll for the second consecutive season. Bonaventure developed a pair of All-Conference performers for the second year in a row, while Nicole Buchholz was named the first Daktronics All-Northeast Region selection in program history with her spot on the second team.

In Bonaventure's first season at the helm of the Franklin Pierce volleyball team, a young Ravens squad posted an 18-10 overall mark and a 9-5 record in the Northeast-10, earning the team a second consecutive berth in the Conference tournament. The Ravens were ranked fourth in the initial NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Regional Rankings of the season, the highest regional ranking in the program's history and the first time the Ravens were regionally ranked since 1993. Franklin Pierce's final regional ranking of 8th was good enough to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but the Ravens were bumped by an automatic bid from another conference in the region.

Bonaventure came to Franklin Pierce after five successful seasons as head coach at West Chester University, an NCAA Division II program which competes in the highly competitive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. (PSAC). She compiled a 99-59 (.627) overall record at West Chester, including three 20-win seasons and a 31-19 (.620) clip in PSAC play. Bonaventure was twice named PSAC Coach of the Year and her recruiting efforts produced the PSAC Rookie of the Year each of the last three seasons.

In 2002, West Chester posted a 23-11 overall record and a share of the PSAC Eastern Division title for the first time in program history. The Golden Rams finished over .500 in each of Bonaventure’s five seasons at the helm. The team also carried a 3.318 cumulative grade point average in 2005.

Prior to her five years at West Chester, Bonaventure served four years as head volleyball coach at Div. III University of Maine-Machias. She also served the University as Director of Athletics for one year. Bonaventure led the Clippers to a 79-35 (.693) record and back-to-back Maine Athletic Conference titles in 1999 and 2000. Bonaventure received NAIA Region X Coach of the Year honors in 1999 and was a two-time State of Maine Coach of the Year. Her team received the State of Maine Sportsmanship Award in 1999 as well.

She has worked in varying capacities with the United States Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs, Colo., the University of Colorado-The Springs, Colorado College and The Colorado Springs School.

Bonaventure earned her Master’s Degree in sports administration from the University of Northern Colorado in 1995 and her undergraduate degree in exercise sport and sciences from the University of Florida in 1993. She also attended Winthrop University for two years, where she was a member of the Eagles volleyball program as a freshman and sophomore, before transferring to Florida. 

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