Volleyball

Stephanie Preach, a former Arizona State standout, completed her second season as a Santa Clara assistant volleyball coach in 2017-18 and was named interim head coach after the season. Her primary responsibilities with Santa Clara include serving as recruiting coordinator as well as working with passers and liberos. Preach also manages operations such as travel arrangements, managing schedules and assisting visiting teams, among other tasks.

During Preach's time at Santa Clara, the Broncos have four All-West Coast Conference selections, eight WCC All-Academic nods and one CoSIDA Academic All-District® 8 honoree.

The Broncos went 6-24 overall and 1-17 in WCC play in 2018. They won four of five matches early in the season from Aug. 25-31 to go to 4-2, but won just twice in their final 24 matches.

The early part of the 2017 campaign featured a landmark victory as Santa Clara downed No. 9 Kansas 3-2 on Sept. 15 in Leavey Center. The Jayhawks are the highest-ranked team Santa Clara has defeated at home in program history and the Broncos were the first unranked team to defeat Kansas since 2014. Santa Clara hit its stride during West Coast Conference play, winning six straight matches from Oct. 21-Nov. 11 to match its longest WCC winning streak since 2015. Kirsten Mead topped all WCC players with 1,232 assists for the year. The team finished the season at 15-15 overall and 8-10 in conference action.

Preach, hired in January 2017, spent the 2016-17 season as director of volleyball operations at Arkansas. Preach played for current Arkansas head coach Jason Watson and served as team captain during her time in Tempe from 2010-13. Her accolades at Arizona State include finishing second in program history with 2,010 digs, helping the team reach the NCAA Tournament during her junior and senior seasons (2012-13), and earning two Pac-12 All-Academic honors (2011-12).

She tallied 619 digs in 2012 and 610 digs in 2011 for the fourth-highest and fifth-highest digs in single-season program history, respectively. She led the Sun Devils in digs for three straight seasons (2011-13) and topped the team in aces twice (2011, 2013).

Following her senior campaign, Preach received the Pac-12’s Tom Hansen Medal of Honor, which “is awarded annually to each member institution's outstanding senior male and female student-athlete based on the exhibition of the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics and leadership,” according to the conference website.

In addition to her volleyball role at Arkansas, Preach assisted in player developmoent programs for student-athletes and coordinaed a mentor program between former National Football League players and Razorback student-athletes.

Prior to working at Arkansas, Preach spent two years as the on-campus football recruiting coordinator for her alma mater Sun Devils. Her coaching experience includes six seasons with the Arizona Storm Volleyball Club (2010-16), including four as a head coach. She coached 16s, 17s and 18s during that span.

The Phoenix native and Xavier College Prep product received a bachelor's degree in communication with a minor in psychology in 2013. One year later, she graduated from ASU's W.P. Carey School of Business with a master's in business management.

In high school, Preach was a two-time Gatorade Arizona Volleyball Player of the Year recipient in 2008 and 2009. As a Gator, she was a three-time First Team All-State and All-Arizona Team selection (2007-09).

Preach has stayed consistently involved in the community, including four years as a volunteer for the Special Olympics. Preach also spent time as a host for "Sparky's Tour," a program that involves speaking with elementary school children about positive ethics and character. Preach has worked as a color commentator for Arizona State volleyball radio broadcasts, television news field reporter and substitute teacher.

“It is with incredible excitement and enthusiasm that I join the Santa Clara Volleyball program,” Preach said when she was hired. “Coach Wallace and the staff as well as the highly talented group of student-athletes of this remarkable university will allow me to wake up with excitement and ambition to help steer this successful and prestigious program to the next level. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and look forward to continued success in the future for the Broncos.”

FROM THE COACHES

“Stephanie is an intelligent, hard-working person with incredible morals and ethics that will represent Santa Clara and our volleyball program very well. Having played at a high level, she brings in a lot of experience that will help our young team grow. Her high energy and outgoing personality are excellent qualities that are valuable for us in the recruiting process.” - Jon Wallace, Head Coach — Santa Clara Volleyball

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Stephanie and wonderful hire for Santa Clara. I believe she will work relentlessly to make the student-athlete experience at Santa Clara one of the finest in the West Coast Conference. Her personality and enthusiasm for the game will be an asset in recruiting. While I’m sorry we no longer work side-by-side, I know she’s ready to impact the lives of the athletes at Santa Clara.” - Jason Watson, Head Coach — Arkansas Volleyball (Coached Preach at ASU)