Intro from Kristen
“I want to thank Ray Anderson, Ken Landphere and Christina Wombacher for this opportunity and putting their faith in me to be the new head coach at ASU. The thing I was blown away by the most when I came on campus for my interview was the support from the top-down of the belief and success that they had in the program. There's already a solid foundation here and I’m super excited to build on that and make ASU the top program in Arizona and also the top in the Pac-12.”
Plan to build a strong team culture and player development
“One of the most important things to me is bringing in good humans and my big thing is building them as student-athletes, not just athletes. My goal is to make them the best beach volleyball player that they can be but also develop them as people, and to get them ready for whatever their planning to do, whether that is playing professional beach volleyball or going out into the workforce and helping them accomplish those goals. So the first thing I’m going to be looking for is people who are going to be able to add something positive for the culture that I have a vision of building and athletes that are ready to work hard and want to be a part of a building program and take it to the next level. I think getting people in here that are ready to be a part of something really special.”
Key ingredients for a successful beach volleyball team on and off the court
“I think that you have to be resilient. Being a student-athlete is not an easy task. There’s a lot of pressure, there's a lot of responsibilities and things that maybe you have to sacrifice by being a student-athlete. Being able to be tough, be resilient, and wanting to work hard and make sacrifices. I want someone that is all those things.”
Recruiting philosophy, recruiting in Arizona
“I’ve worked for multiple clubs in Arizona, and Arizona has so much talent in beach volleyball. We have a lot of athletes that make the transition from indoor and have such a huge potential in the sand. I think one of the huge benefits of being at Arizona State is what it offers academically and what we’ll be able to offer from a beach volleyball program standpoint. Being in-state, the cost of tuition and being able to bring an athlete for a low-cost high education and student-athlete experience. I still think it’s important to pull athletes from our own state because Arizona is such a hot-bed, which is weird since we don’t have any beaches, but it’s a hot-bed for sand volleyball, and I think it’s not just pulling from our state but pulling the best talent. These athletes are wanting to go to a Power 5, Pac-12. I think that’s a huge benefit to be able to pull the top talent in the country.”
What fans can expect from home games, building community around beach volleyball
“That’s a big goal of mine. I really would love to help the community understand and know about our sport and get excited about it. You’re going to see a lot of fire, a lot of passion, you’re going to see a lot of grit. The sand at our facility is extremely deep and a lot of fans are going to come from an indoor background because beach (volleyball) is still relatively new in the college world. But then seeing two people on the court and them having to do every single skill and grind it out, long rallies, and we have one of the strongest conferences in the country and being able to come out and see that level of competition: it’s all very exciting. We are hosting the Pac-12 South this year and also hosting the Pac-12 Championship, so being able to come out and see that high level of competition right in our backyard is a really exciting opportunity for Tempe and surrounding areas.”
Community engagement plans
“I’ve been hired now for about five days and been trying to get on zoom calls with all the current athletes and hear what they’ve done in the past as far as community involvement. But I truly believe in developing the whole student-athlete, and a part of that is community service and community involvement. When people can put a face to a name and add the sport in, they want to come support those people that are also supporting them. Going out and doing community service opportunities and finding ways to connect with the community and helping them understand about our sport and why it would be so fun to come watch.”
Relationships with student-athletes
“I would say beach volleyball has given so much to me throughout my entire career. I have the background of starting indoor. And I started beach volleyball really late, I was 24 and you see these athletes starting at 9, 10 or 11 years old. So I have so much passion for the sport and passion for my athletes. I put a big emphasis on my relationships with my student-athletes and getting to know them through the recruiting process and advocate for them and be there for them while they're going through their four years. Sometimes five years. I’m that coach that after they graduate, that’s not the end of the relationship. I want to see how they’re doing in life. I love getting wedding invites, baby shower invites or pictures. Or them meeting up with other players that are playing professionally overseas. I care so much about my athletes and their experience, but I’m also passionate about the sport and teaching it and growing it. I don’t know if you have seen my past university compete, but we were usually the loudest cheering team on the beach and I'm big on supporting your teammates and putting everything into the community and having that family atmosphere.”
Making the move to ASU from GCU
“To be able to be at a program that is a Power 5, in the Pac-12 that has such a great history and tradition as a university is a big deal. There’s a lot being said about how it’s number one in innovation and the one thing that blew me away in my interview was everyone that I spoke to was so welcoming. They were so knowledgeable and bought into the future success of the beach volleyball program, and that was something that made me say ‘Okay.’ When you have the backing of everyone, administration, from the top and all the way down, it makes it a lot easier to be successful when you have that support. I thought it was a great opportunity for me; I was at GCU for eight years, I loved every minute of it. I love the sport, I love my job and now to be able to go to a program that I feel like should be the top beach volleyball program in Arizona is exciting. I feel like they should be at the top of the Pac-12, and to be able to have the support and the resources that ASU has to offer and to have that challenge of building a program to be the top of the country is really exciting for me.”
Timeline to success
“We have a lot of really good pieces returning. I know from my conversations with the athletes they’re excited to work. They had a nice season last year and are wanting to build on that. I don’t think there’s any reason why we can’t have a record breaking season this year. Between them and talking to some transfers and trying to find pieces that can get us above top-15 this year. I don’t think that’s an unrealistic goal and if you’re not setting your goals high, then what are you really doing? I think we have a really good opportunity to make some noise and some history this year. My hope is that in the next three years we are getting deep in the Pac-12 tournament and the top part of the rankings in the country.”
Arizona being home for her
“When I came for my interview (at GCU), that was my first time I had ever been to Arizona and I instantly fell in love with it. I was like, okay this is where I want to be. My mom was still living in Florida, so I would go back and forth a lot. I think probably after two years I thought, ‘Arizona really feels like home.’ It’s just something about everything: the people, the community, the weather. There’s just something about Arizona that won me over and I have no intentions of warning to leave. It definitely feels like home to me. I just moved my mom here, my husband and I met here and just moved into a new home, so there’s so many pieces that have made this home.”
Arizona State amplifying beach volleyball in the state
“Arizona was in the forefront of having high school beach volleyball. There aren’t many states that are even doing that yet. That’s been a huge advantage of growing the sport in Arizona and people that grow up here grew up following ASU. They dream of coming to ASU to be involved in the traditions, the fanbase they have, the athletics. I think that’s a huge advantage for us, but to have the high school season and championships, and the pairs championships in our backyard is a huge advantage for recruiting. The talent level will keep growing here. Now you have people that are playing year-round, they’re not just playing in the spring. They’re training in the fall with their club and play in the spring with their high school. Definitely a huge advantage.”
Beach volleyball empowering women’s athletics
“When I look at the landscape of volleyball coaching, in general but also in beach volleyball, there’s a lot to be said about having a female role model leading these young women to grow and navigate through their college careers and life. I feel like the beach volleyball world is small and all of us women pull together and try to figure out how we grow. That’s not really any different in the state of Arizona. We bond together and figure out how we can continue to grow the sport. It’s offering the opportunities for these athletes to start at a young age, and the opportunities to play pro after. You look at how it’s grown at the pro level. Back when I played, you had to go hire a coach to train you and fly to wherever that coach was, so you never really had opportunities to be in college and be trained under great programs, great coaches and being able to compete against top-talent in the country to prepare you for the pro level. Now you’re seeing a lot of college players competing for national teams, or competing on the pro tour. I don’t think I would’ve made it in this time-frame because the talent is so insane right now.”
“I want to thank Ray Anderson, Ken Landphere and Christina Wombacher for this opportunity and putting their faith in me to be the new head coach at ASU. The thing I was blown away by the most when I came on campus for my interview was the support from the top-down of the belief and success that they had in the program. There's already a solid foundation here and I’m super excited to build on that and make ASU the top program in Arizona and also the top in the Pac-12.”
Plan to build a strong team culture and player development
“One of the most important things to me is bringing in good humans and my big thing is building them as student-athletes, not just athletes. My goal is to make them the best beach volleyball player that they can be but also develop them as people, and to get them ready for whatever their planning to do, whether that is playing professional beach volleyball or going out into the workforce and helping them accomplish those goals. So the first thing I’m going to be looking for is people who are going to be able to add something positive for the culture that I have a vision of building and athletes that are ready to work hard and want to be a part of a building program and take it to the next level. I think getting people in here that are ready to be a part of something really special.”
Key ingredients for a successful beach volleyball team on and off the court
“I think that you have to be resilient. Being a student-athlete is not an easy task. There’s a lot of pressure, there's a lot of responsibilities and things that maybe you have to sacrifice by being a student-athlete. Being able to be tough, be resilient, and wanting to work hard and make sacrifices. I want someone that is all those things.”
Recruiting philosophy, recruiting in Arizona
“I’ve worked for multiple clubs in Arizona, and Arizona has so much talent in beach volleyball. We have a lot of athletes that make the transition from indoor and have such a huge potential in the sand. I think one of the huge benefits of being at Arizona State is what it offers academically and what we’ll be able to offer from a beach volleyball program standpoint. Being in-state, the cost of tuition and being able to bring an athlete for a low-cost high education and student-athlete experience. I still think it’s important to pull athletes from our own state because Arizona is such a hot-bed, which is weird since we don’t have any beaches, but it’s a hot-bed for sand volleyball, and I think it’s not just pulling from our state but pulling the best talent. These athletes are wanting to go to a Power 5, Pac-12. I think that’s a huge benefit to be able to pull the top talent in the country.”
What fans can expect from home games, building community around beach volleyball
“That’s a big goal of mine. I really would love to help the community understand and know about our sport and get excited about it. You’re going to see a lot of fire, a lot of passion, you’re going to see a lot of grit. The sand at our facility is extremely deep and a lot of fans are going to come from an indoor background because beach (volleyball) is still relatively new in the college world. But then seeing two people on the court and them having to do every single skill and grind it out, long rallies, and we have one of the strongest conferences in the country and being able to come out and see that level of competition: it’s all very exciting. We are hosting the Pac-12 South this year and also hosting the Pac-12 Championship, so being able to come out and see that high level of competition right in our backyard is a really exciting opportunity for Tempe and surrounding areas.”
Community engagement plans
“I’ve been hired now for about five days and been trying to get on zoom calls with all the current athletes and hear what they’ve done in the past as far as community involvement. But I truly believe in developing the whole student-athlete, and a part of that is community service and community involvement. When people can put a face to a name and add the sport in, they want to come support those people that are also supporting them. Going out and doing community service opportunities and finding ways to connect with the community and helping them understand about our sport and why it would be so fun to come watch.”
Relationships with student-athletes
“I would say beach volleyball has given so much to me throughout my entire career. I have the background of starting indoor. And I started beach volleyball really late, I was 24 and you see these athletes starting at 9, 10 or 11 years old. So I have so much passion for the sport and passion for my athletes. I put a big emphasis on my relationships with my student-athletes and getting to know them through the recruiting process and advocate for them and be there for them while they're going through their four years. Sometimes five years. I’m that coach that after they graduate, that’s not the end of the relationship. I want to see how they’re doing in life. I love getting wedding invites, baby shower invites or pictures. Or them meeting up with other players that are playing professionally overseas. I care so much about my athletes and their experience, but I’m also passionate about the sport and teaching it and growing it. I don’t know if you have seen my past university compete, but we were usually the loudest cheering team on the beach and I'm big on supporting your teammates and putting everything into the community and having that family atmosphere.”
Making the move to ASU from GCU
“To be able to be at a program that is a Power 5, in the Pac-12 that has such a great history and tradition as a university is a big deal. There’s a lot being said about how it’s number one in innovation and the one thing that blew me away in my interview was everyone that I spoke to was so welcoming. They were so knowledgeable and bought into the future success of the beach volleyball program, and that was something that made me say ‘Okay.’ When you have the backing of everyone, administration, from the top and all the way down, it makes it a lot easier to be successful when you have that support. I thought it was a great opportunity for me; I was at GCU for eight years, I loved every minute of it. I love the sport, I love my job and now to be able to go to a program that I feel like should be the top beach volleyball program in Arizona is exciting. I feel like they should be at the top of the Pac-12, and to be able to have the support and the resources that ASU has to offer and to have that challenge of building a program to be the top of the country is really exciting for me.”
Timeline to success
“We have a lot of really good pieces returning. I know from my conversations with the athletes they’re excited to work. They had a nice season last year and are wanting to build on that. I don’t think there’s any reason why we can’t have a record breaking season this year. Between them and talking to some transfers and trying to find pieces that can get us above top-15 this year. I don’t think that’s an unrealistic goal and if you’re not setting your goals high, then what are you really doing? I think we have a really good opportunity to make some noise and some history this year. My hope is that in the next three years we are getting deep in the Pac-12 tournament and the top part of the rankings in the country.”
Arizona being home for her
“When I came for my interview (at GCU), that was my first time I had ever been to Arizona and I instantly fell in love with it. I was like, okay this is where I want to be. My mom was still living in Florida, so I would go back and forth a lot. I think probably after two years I thought, ‘Arizona really feels like home.’ It’s just something about everything: the people, the community, the weather. There’s just something about Arizona that won me over and I have no intentions of warning to leave. It definitely feels like home to me. I just moved my mom here, my husband and I met here and just moved into a new home, so there’s so many pieces that have made this home.”
Arizona State amplifying beach volleyball in the state
“Arizona was in the forefront of having high school beach volleyball. There aren’t many states that are even doing that yet. That’s been a huge advantage of growing the sport in Arizona and people that grow up here grew up following ASU. They dream of coming to ASU to be involved in the traditions, the fanbase they have, the athletics. I think that’s a huge advantage for us, but to have the high school season and championships, and the pairs championships in our backyard is a huge advantage for recruiting. The talent level will keep growing here. Now you have people that are playing year-round, they’re not just playing in the spring. They’re training in the fall with their club and play in the spring with their high school. Definitely a huge advantage.”
Beach volleyball empowering women’s athletics
“When I look at the landscape of volleyball coaching, in general but also in beach volleyball, there’s a lot to be said about having a female role model leading these young women to grow and navigate through their college careers and life. I feel like the beach volleyball world is small and all of us women pull together and try to figure out how we grow. That’s not really any different in the state of Arizona. We bond together and figure out how we can continue to grow the sport. It’s offering the opportunities for these athletes to start at a young age, and the opportunities to play pro after. You look at how it’s grown at the pro level. Back when I played, you had to go hire a coach to train you and fly to wherever that coach was, so you never really had opportunities to be in college and be trained under great programs, great coaches and being able to compete against top-talent in the country to prepare you for the pro level. Now you’re seeing a lot of college players competing for national teams, or competing on the pro tour. I don’t think I would’ve made it in this time-frame because the talent is so insane right now.”