In one of many extra uncommon happenings in NCAA Division I Energy 5 girls’s volleyball, simply greater than two weeks earlier than the beginning of observe, Cal introduced Saturday that coach Sam Crosson had resigned on the identical day that West Valley Faculty introduced that he’s the brand new coach on the neighborhood school in Saratoga, California.
Cal is 0-40 the previous two seasons in Pac-12 play, mired in a 55-match convention shedding streak.
Cal’s information launch:
“I wish to thank the College of California and Jim Knowlton for the chance to teach this group for the final 4 and a half years,” Crosson mentioned. “Returning to Cal was a profession dream of mine, and I’m grateful for the time that I spent with our student-athletes and people who supported this system. After a lot deliberation, I’ve made the choice to step down and give attention to spending extra time with my household.”
Crosson compiled an total report of 35-78 in 4 seasons because the Golden Bears’ head coach. In his first 12 months on the helm in 2019, he guided the Bears to a 20-10 report for this system’s first 20-win marketing campaign since 2013. He was beforehand on the Cal employees as an assistant coach from 2010-12, throughout which era the group reached the NCAA Match in all three seasons.
“I thank Sam Crosson for his dedication to our volleyball program and want he and his household one of the best,” mentioned Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton. “I’ve full confidence in Crissy (Jones Schoonderwoerd) and Savannah (Rennie) to guide our younger girls by this season.
“Crissy Jones Schoonderwoerd will function this system’s interim head coach.”
Jones Schoonderwoerd, 26, is a former Washington standout who completed her school profession enjoying seaside at Cal Poly — after Crosson was the indoors coach there — after which performed professional seaside volleyball. She was employed a Cal precisely a 12 months in the past with no teaching expertise.
The opposite assistant is the incomparable Savannah Rennie, about whom now we have written extensively, a former Cal nice who ended her indoors profession at Cal in 2019 and completed at Marquette earlier than turning into a volunteer coach final 12 months at USC. She performed for each Wealthy Feller, who retired, and Crosson, who took Feller’s place.
(Click on right here to learn extra about extra about Rennie and her exceptional story).
Final season Cal completed 7-23, 0-20 within the Pac-12, which got here after a 7-24, 0-20 end in 2021. For that matter, Cal was 1-21 in 2020-21, the COVID season. It scored a surprising upset on February 12, a five-set win over then No. 15 Stanford, the primary time Cal beat the Cardinal since 2011. It misplaced its subsequent 15 matches, which implies the convention shedding streak is at 55.
Cal opens the season in a match at Military West Level the place it performs Military, Fairfield and Central Connecticut State August 25-26.
That is the West Valley information launch:
Former College of California, Berkely coach Sam Crosson is the brand new West Valley indoor and seaside volleyball coach, WVC Govt Director of Intercollegiate Athletics John Vlahos lately introduced. Crosson involves Saratoga after 4 years with the PAC 12’s Bears and 7 seasons at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Previous to his head teaching stints with the Bears and the Mustangs, Crosson was an assistant for the boys’s program at UOP, his alma mater, and the ladies’s indoor applications at Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s. He was a Cal assistant from 2010-2012 earlier than taking the pinnacle Cal Poly job.
Identified for his technical savvy and recruiting, Crosson involves West Valley with a excessive profile throughout all ranges of collegiate volleyball.
“We’re so excited to announce the hiring of Sam Crosson as our subsequent volleyball coach,” Vlahos mentioned. “Not solely was he an excellent volleyball participant, however he’s additionally earned a popularity as a top-flight coach and an excellent trainer.”
His first 12 months at Cal, in 2019, was Crosson’s finest in Berkeley. The Bears had been 20-10 total, 10-10 within the ultra-competitive Pac 12, and simply missed an NCAA match berth. He amassed a 114-83 total mark, 67-48 within the Massive West, from 2012-2018 at Cal Poly.
After going 27-3 with an ideal 16-0 Massive West report in 2017, Crosson was named the Massive West and American Volleyball Coaches Affiliation (AVCA) Pacific North Area Coach of the 12 months. The Mustangs went 25-3, 15-1 in convention, in 2018, incomes Crosson his second consecutive Massive West Coach of the 12 months award.
Crosson takes over a “Viking Volley” program that, below the lately retired Armen Zakarian, has develop into a CCCAA powerhouse each indoors and on the sand. Within the final 5 years, Zakarian’s indoor Vikings had been 91-45 total, 45-12 within the Coast Convention, with three straight Coast titles (2019-2022), a 2nd-place state end (2021), a 5th-place state end (2018) and 5 consecutive playoff berths. His seaside Vikings had been 50-28, 34-10 within the Coast, with a Coast title in 2019 and state runner-up pairs finishes in 2019 (Kaylin Henderson and Mapu Sekona) and 2022 (Katie Kishton and Flor Porras).
“To rent away a sitting head coach from a Energy 5 convention demonstrates what nice alternatives neighborhood school jobs are,” mentioned Vlahos. “We’re excited to look at Sam construct off of the superb basis created by Armen Zakarian and take our program to the following stage.”
Crosson earned each his bachelor’s and grasp’s in sports activities sciences at Pacific. As a participant, he was voted the group’s MVP in 1997, and continues to be considered one of many prime gamers in Tiger historical past. He ranks 3rd all-time in service aces (86), 5th in digs (689), 7th in kills (948), 15th in blocks (218), 17th in kills-per-set (2.88) and 22nd in assists (119). His 329 sets-played ranks 14th all-time in UOP historical past.
Crosson is the second NCAA D1 coach employed at West Valley within the final 4 years. Lengthy-time Saint Mary’s assistant Danny Yoshikawa took over the Viking males’s basketball program in 2019 and has led WVC to a pair of Coast titles and two state championship match berths.
A Santa Cruz native, Crosson and spouse Courtney have two daughters, Makenna, one among NorCal’s prime prep volleyball gamers, and Logan.