Press Release courtesy of North Florida Athletics
University of North Florida Athletic Director Lee Moon announced the hiring of Kristen Wright as head volleyball coach for the UNF Indoor and Beach Volleyball programs.
Wright comes to the Ospreys following a four-year stint leading the indoor and beach volleyball programs at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, Calif. She started both programs and led the Spartans to five conference championships and a state title in beach volleyball.
“We are extremely fortunate to have a coach with Kristen’s qualities taking the lead with our volleyball programs,” said Moon. “She has demonstrated the ability to build a successful team both on and off the court. Her infectious passion for volleyball, family-focused culture and competitive personality are perfect fits for our position. She has coached and played at championship levels which is always a goal for our teams at UNF. The future for Osprey volleyball is bright and I am looking forward to Kristen getting started.”
Joining MiraCosta in January of 2014, Wright quickly built a strong program with the indoor squad posting an 80-28 (74.1 win percentage) record. Under her tutelage, the Spartans produced one All-American, two All-State, three All-Region, two conference Players of the Year and a Beach Duo of the Year award winners. She also collected a pair of Conference Coach of the Year awards. Wright was named an AVCA “Top 30 Coaches under Thirty Award” winner in 2012.
“My family and I are thrilled to join the UNF family. I am eager to work with our staff and student-athletes as we build a championship program in indoor and beach. I am well prepared and have outstanding experience in running a program that has both indoor and beach and our goal is to be the best mid-major school in the country that sponsors both. To become a championship program, it requires vision, hard work, and buy-in from everyone. We have to know where we want to go as a program and put in the time and work necessary to get there. You can build a championship culture and still have tight knit relationships on the team. Bringing a vision to fruition is what I’ve always done, and I plan to do it again at UNF.”
Owning over a decade of head coaching experience, Wright was a championship winning coach in the high school ranks before going to MiraCosta. She led Tri-City Christian to eight consecutive CIF San Diego Section Championships, five So-Cal Regional Championships and a State Championship runner-up finish. At Santa Fe Christian, she guided the team to a California State Championship, SoCal Regional Championship and league championship.
In 13 years as a head coach, Wright’s teams have won a championship in 12, earning multiple titles in several seasons. Her prep pupils collected two All-American and seven Player of the Year accolades. Additionally, she was inducted into the San Diego Breitbard Coaching Hall of Fame in 2016.
Along with a successful coaching career, Wright was a four-year starter at the University of San Diego. She earned AVCA All-American and All-Region honors while also garnering three WCC All-Conference accolades during her career with the Toreros.
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