Amy Crosson: A Rising Star in Collegiate Volleyball Coaching

Amy Crosson has emerged as a prominent figure in collegiate volleyball, demonstrating a consistent ability to build successful programs and develop high-performing athletes. Her career trajectory, spanning multiple universities and culminating in head coaching roles, showcases a blend of technical expertise, recruiting acumen, and a commitment to player development.

Early Career and Assistant Coaching Roles

Crosson’s coaching journey began in 2004 as a volunteer assistant with the Santa Clara University women’s volleyball team. In this initial role, she gained valuable experience supporting practice planning, player training, and match preparation.^[1]

From 2005 to 2009, Crosson served as the top assistant coach at Saint Mary’s College. As recruiting coordinator and offensive coordinator, she spearheaded technical training for setters and middle blockers. Under her guidance, the Gaels consistently led the West Coast Conference (WCC) in blocking, achieving a ranking as high as second nationally in blocks per set (3.82) in 2005.^[1] Significant achievements during this period included a 20-8 overall record and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008, and a standout 23-5 overall record in 2009, marking the program’s first WCC title and an NCAA Tournament second-round appearance.^[1] Crosson also consistently attracted recruiting classes that received honorable mention rankings from PrepVolleyball.com, and saw a middle blocker earn WCC All-Freshman Team honors from 2005 to 2007.^[1]

Crosson then transitioned to the University of California, Berkeley, as an assistant coach from 2010 to 2011. Her contributions focused on video analysis, offensive and defensive systems, and the development of setters and middle blockers. This period saw the Golden Bears achieve a Pac-10 Conference title and reach the NCAA Tournament national runner-up finish in 2010 – the program’s only championship game appearance – followed by a 26-7 overall record and another NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011.^[1]

Head Coaching Success at Cal Poly

In January 2012, Crosson was appointed head coach at Cal Poly, where she spent seven seasons rebuilding the Mustangs into a national contender. She compiled an impressive 114-83 overall record and a 67-48 mark in Substantial West Conference play.^[1] Notably, she also pioneered the program’s beach volleyball team, serving as its head coach from 2014 to 2015 before recruiting Olympic gold medalist Todd Rogers to seize the helm.^[1]

Key highlights from her tenure at Cal Poly include:

• 2012: 5-26 overall
• 2013: 12-17 6-10 Big West
• 2014: 9-17 4-12 Big West
• 2015: 19-8 11-5 Big West
• 2016: 17-9 10-5 Big West
• 2017: 27-3 16-0 Big West (conference champions), NCAA Tournament appearance; AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year and Big West Coach of the Year
• 2018: 25-5 15-1 Big West (conference champions), NCAA Tournament appearance; named Big West Coach of the Year

Return to Cal and Continued Coaching

Crosson returned to the University of California as head coach from 2019 to 2022, achieving a 35-78 overall record during her four seasons. Despite facing challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, her first year was particularly strong, with a 20-10 overall record and eight weeks ranked in the AVCA Top 25.^[1]

Education and Background

Crosson graduated from Pacific in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in sports sciences and earned her master’s in sports sciences from the same university in 2005.^[1] She is a native of Santa Cruz, California.^[1]

As of February 23, 2026, Amy Crosson continues to be a respected and sought-after coach in the collegiate volleyball landscape.

^[1] Amy Crosson at Saint Mary’s College | Rate My Professors, Santa Clara University vs. Saint Marys College of California