Difference Maker: Cassandra Cole Muscat Helped Begin Hillsdale’s Volleyball Winning Tradition
Written by Doug Goodnough
Cassandra Cole Muscat, ’00, was there from the beginning. As a member of Hillsdale College Head Volleyball Coach Chris Gravel’s first recruiting class, she was a part of the program’s revival. Now, nearly 30 years later, Hillsdale Volleyball annually competes for conference championships and is a regular participant in the NCAA Division II tournament.
As a two-time first-team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, the former outside hitter helped the Chargers earn their first berth in the conference tournament, then was a key contributor as Hillsdale won a GLIAC South Division title in 1999.
However, Muscat wasn’t sure she would attend Hillsdale despite having a strong family connection to the College. She had applied to Mississippi State, but after an outstanding senior season at Hillsdale High School, she decided to pursue a college volleyball career.
“I wanted to try to play,” said Muscat, whose father, Ken, was the College’s vice president of finance at the time. “They had hired Chris [Gravel], so I reached out to him and sent him a video.”
After a tryout, Gravel offered her a spot on the team, and she was officially a Charger.
“When I got there, there was a lot of order and discipline,” Muscat said of Gravel’s first team. “It was a little tough because I didn’t start right away. I had to put my time in and work hard.”
She got her chance to start during her sophomore season and quickly became a standout and team leader. Muscat said Gravel’s coaching made a difference.
“He worked with me on my swing, because my swing wasn’t very good,” she said of her early days with the program. “Once I figured out the correct swing, my play got a lot better. He just knew how to coach me.”
Before Muscat’s and Gravel’s arrival, the Chargers’ last winning season was in 1982. In 1999, Hillsdale finished 24-11 overall and 13-6 in the GLIAC, signaling the program’s arrival as a perennial power.
“It was fun being at the start of that and seeing where it is now,” she said.
Muscat said having her father on campus was a bonus to her Hillsdale experience.
“I would stop in and see my dad often,” she said of her days as a student. “I loved having him there. And it’s funny because his signature was on all of the [College] paychecks. My friends who had jobs for the College would say, ‘Your dad signed my paycheck.’”
She followed her father’s interest in finance, majoring in financial management at Hillsdale. After graduation, she and her college roommate briefly coached a travel volleyball team in Colorado. She then moved to Hawaii, where she served as a snorkel guide for a tourist boating company.
“I wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to do with my career,” Muscat said. “I wanted to travel. We didn’t travel a bunch growing up, so I wanted to see what was out there.”
Eventually, she moved to South Lake Tahoe, California, where she worked in finance at a casino. She later managed the casino’s compliance department and spent 16 years there.
In 2018, she joined her husband’s painting business and currently runs the office operation. She and her husband, Frank, whom she married in 2013, both love skiing and mountain biking, taking advantage of the local terrain. They are involved in the community and are big Detroit sports fans. In fact, their dog is named “Hutch,” after Detroit Lions star Aidan Hutchinson.
Muscat said she occasionally gets back to Hillsdale to visit her parents, Ken and Brenda. In fact, her parents are still “super fans” of Chargers Volleyball.
“They love the program,” she said.
Muscat treasured her Hillsdale experience.
“I loved the small classroom vibe. I loved knowing my classmates and my teammates so well,” said Muscat, who was a member of the Chi Omega sorority. “I played volleyball with a great group of women, and I’m still friends with them. Hillsdale offers a great community.”
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s senior director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.