Abbie Wright - Women's Volleyball Coach

Abbie Wright

Title:
Interim Head Coach
Email:
fsvb@mail.fresnostate.edu
Phone:
559-278-7762

Abbie Wright enters her first season at Fresno State first joining the program as the associate head coach before becoming the interim head coach on May 20 after spending the last five seasons as the head coach at Division II Seattle Pacific.

"As we move forward, the hire of Abbie Wright will be an incredible addition to our program," former head coach Jonathan Winder said. "She is a gifted teacher of the game, joyful, relationship focused, and fiercely competitive. I asked the team what they wanted in a coach and Abbie delivered on all those character qualities. She will help us in training, team culture, match preparation, and recruiting. Her experience and drive to be great will continue to move our program consistently higher.

Combining to win 65 matches in her time in the Pacific Northwest, Wright led the Falcons to a 15-10 mark in 2021 while tying for fourth in Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

"Abbie came highly regarded by everyone I talked with, Winder noted. "She is a leader who can energize a program and develop the student-athletes both on and off the court. She shares our passion for excellence in all parts of our day here at Fresno State. It's a great moment for the 'Dogs!"

"I am grateful for this opportunity to join the Fresno State Volleyball program, Wright said." "It's an honor to be able to work with Coach Winder and his staff as they are some of the most knowledgeable and highly regarded in the business. I could not be more excited to contribute to a program that is pursuing new heights, and to be able to coach the student-athletes on this team. From an outsiders perspective, they are women who bode high character and have a fierce desire to win. It will be great to soon have a front row seat in guiding, directing, and serving them."

Sophomore middle blocker Hannah Hair became SPU's first All-American since 2011 this season and sixth All-American in program history after being named an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention.

In addition to her All-American honors, Hair was a unanimous selection to the All-GNAC first team, a AVCA All-West Region honorable mention and made the DII Conference Commissioners Association All-West Region second team.

Prior to her time in Seattle, Wright spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at her alma mater Biola from 2013-16. During her first year there in 2013, the Eagles reached the NAIA national championship match before falling short of University of Texas-Brownsville.

Biola returned to the national tournament in 2014, 2015, and 2016 and posted a 115-24 (.827) overall mark in her four-year stretch on the sideline.

In 2015, the program achieved its first-ever No. 1 national ranking while winning 30 matches and Wright earned the AVCA / NAIA Southwest Region and National Assistant Coach of the Year Award.

A setter in her playing days at Biola, Wright still owns program records for most matches played (143), most sets played (508), and service aces (182). Her teams made it to NAIA national tournament all four years, advancing the semifinals in 2007 and 2008, and to the quarterfinals in 2010.

Following the 2016 season, Wright was named to the "30 Under 30" list by the American Volleyball Coaches Association which recognizes top coaches across all levels of the game who are age 30 or younger.

Wright graduated from Biola in 2010 with a degree in sociology, and minors in mathematics and Biblical studies.