Kristen Wright just completed her third full season as the head coach for the UNF Beach Volleyball program after joining the Ospreys in December of 2017. Wright also serves in the same role with the North Florida Volleyball program.
Prior to the 2020 season, Wright earned the prestigious honor of being named to Volleyballmag.com's Under 40 Coaching Hotshot List on the indoor side.
Through three full seasons and the COVID-19 shortened year, Wright is 65-42, earning two 20-win seasons while going 13-5 in ASUN play.
The Director of Volleyball serves heavily in game planning, scouting opponents, recruiting initiatives, securing commits, mental training, character development and alumni relations.
During her tenure the program has seen development by way of a conference title, national rankings, facility improvements, notoriety and individual records and honors. North Florida has not only fortified its name as a regional force but a national contender, putting its name on the table for consideration in national polls.
2021 Beach Volleyball - ASUN Champions and ASUN Coach of the Year
The 2021 season was a season to remember for Wright and the UNF beach volleyball program. The Ospreys won the 2021 ASUN Championship after turning in a furious four-game winning streak in the ASUN Tournament. North Florida defeated five teams in total en route to the title between April 23 and April 25. The Ospreys opened the postseason with a win against Jacksonville before stumbling against third-seeded FGCU.
The second-seeded Ospreys righted the ship after that, defeating Mercer, Coastal Carolina, FGCU and top-seeded and No. 16 nationally-ranked Stetson in the title match.
The championship was UNF’s first since 2016, dethroning Stetson who had won the last three ASUN titles since the Ospreys’ previous title campaign. Wright and the Ospreys tied the program record for wins after winning 24 matches, including three against ranked opponents.
North Florida took down No. 11 FAU, No. 20 FGCU and No. 16 Stetson during a season that featured numerous ranked opponents from the east region. UNF’s victory against No. 11 FAU was North Florida’s highest-ranked win since defeating No. 9 Stetson in 2016.
Success against ranked teams aided in more history. April 27, North Florida earned its first-ever ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Collegiate Beach Volleyball Poll, coming in at No. 20 in the poll. UNF followed that achievement up by being ranked the following week, while also receiving numerous weeks of recognition in the Top 20 of the Collegebeachvb.com Committee Poll.
Team success translated into individual honors for Wright and UNF beach volleyball student-athletes in ‘21. The fourth-year head coach was named ASUN Beach Volleyball Coach of the Year, a crowning achievement for a grueling spring season that saw Wright and her staff balance a 20-match indoor volleyball season simultaneously.
Cornerstones of UNF’s success in 2021, Antonia Harrison and Dana Roskic, had a breakout season en route to conference and national honors. The duo was named ASUN Pair of the Week on two occasions, finishing the year 26-8 overall and 12-3 at the first pair. Harrison and Roskic were named ASUN Beach Volleyball Championship Pair of the Tournament, while receiving ASUN First Team All-Conference honors. Their .750 winning percentage at the first pair was good enough to earn the duo AVCA Top Flight honors for their play at the first slot.
Wright and her staff saw Roskic blossom into a force to be reckoned with since her arrival in Jacksonville prior to the start of the 2019 season. Roskic concluded her UNF career as the program record holder for winning percentage (.720), becoming the ninth Osprey to reach the 50-win milestone in just two full seasons.
Roskic and Harrison weren’t the only Ospreys racking up the awards in 2021. Initially starting the year at the top slot, eventual second-pair duo Callie Workman and Taryn Griffey provided a veteran backbone in the Osprey lineup, securing one ASUN Pair of the Week honor and Second Team All-Conference recognition. Together they went 13-6 at the top slot, picking up clutch wins against No. 13 FAU, No. 11 FIU and as the clinching win in UNF’s 3-2 triumph against Coastal Carolina in the ASUN Championship.
UNF became the only team in the league with two second team all-conference pairs when Lauren Galinis and Carleigh Semeniuk received the same recognition. The duo went 6-0 in the ASUN Championship, earning ASUN Championship All-Tournament honors together. Playing at the third and fourth slots, the pair won five matches against pairs on ranked teams and also rattled off a nine-match winning streak during the middle of March.
Two Ospreys were picked for the ASUN All-Academic Team, with graduate students Griffey and Galinis earning all-academic laurels for their 3.75 and 3.76 respective GPAs in their MBA programs.
All told, UNF’s dual-record stood at 108-62 as a number of Ospreys blossomed. UNF had 11 different student-athletes pick up double-digit wins including Carolyn Cain, Galinis, Griffey, Harrison, Leah Maloney, Chantel McMillan, Marisa Rogers, Roskic, Semeniuk and Workman.
2020 Beach Volleyball
Wright surpassed the 40-win milestone in her beach volleyball coaching career after picking up a pair of sweeps against Mercer and UNCW during the abbreviated 2020 campaign.
February 21 North Florida beach volleyball picked up its first win at the newly constructed Cooper Beach Volleyball Complex. The Ospreys swept Mercer, 5-0, in the first day of competition at the five-court complex.
UNF hosted four ranked foes including No. 2/3 Florida State at "The Coop" and sophomore Dana Roskic was selected to the ASUN Preseason All-Conference squad. Prior to the season UNF was receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
2019 Beach Volleyball
UNF turned in a 20-14 overall record, going 6-2 in conference play during Wright's second year at the helm. The Ospreys' 20 wins were good for the second-most victories in program history. Wright and the Ospreys earned the second-seed and advanced to the ASUN Championship Loser's Bracket Final, falling to three-seed FGCU, 3-2.
UNF played one of the toughest schedules to date in program history, playing nine matches against ranked opponents. Antonia Harrison and Chaney Howard helped North Florida clinch a dramatic 3-2 win against TCU February 22. The Ospreys faced the following ranked opponents:
- No. 19 TCU
- No. 20 FAU
- No. 17 Grand Canyon
- No. 15 Arizona
- No. 4 LSU
- No. 19 Georgia State
- No. 10 Stetson (Twice)
- No. 8 Stetson (Once, ASUN Championship)
The Ospreys made their first-ever trips to the state of California and Arizona in program history, playing matches against Arizona, Grand Canyon, Arizona State, Cal State Bakersfield and New Mexico among others.
The tough schedule constructed by Wright and her staff helped UNF receive votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll for six different weeks. The team also received votes for seven separate weeks in the DiG Magazine Collegiate Beach Volleyball Coaches Poll.
North Florida was strong at home, going 6-2 in matches played at Jacksonville Beach. For the first time since 2013 UNF Beach Volleyball hosted matches on its own turf, hosting the 2019 UNF Invitational as well as a pair of matches against Jacksonville and FGCU.
Wright's second season leading UNF was also a big one for individual accolades. Senior Chaney Howard became the program's all-time wins leader after notching her 62nd triumph with a win against Eckerd March 8, moving her past Courtney Miller.
Freshman Dana Roskic had one of the best seasons for a UNF rookie in program history, turning in a 24-9 record to lead the Ospreys. Roskic's 24 wins were good for second all-time among UNF freshman in a single season. Her partner, sophomore Callie Workman, set the record for the most wins for a sophomore in program history. Together they earned two ASUN Pair of the Week honors, finishing with ranked wins against No. 19 TCU, No. 15 Arizona and two against No. 10 Stetson.
Seniors Chaney Howard, Nicole DeBolt and Brittany Pase all finished in the top three for career wins. Howard became the first Osprey to eclipse 70 wins and Nicole DeBolt and Chaney Howard both finished with 59 wins, tied for third all-time.
The Ospreys racked up ASUN Postseason honors, with six Ospreys receiving a combined five awards:
- Dana Roskic / Callie Workman (First Team All-ASUN)
- Dana Roskic (Unanimous ASUN All-Freshman)
- Chaney Howard / Brittany Pase (Second Team All-ASUN)
- Nicole DeBolt / Madilyn McCarty (Second Team All-ASUN)
- Brittany Pase (ASUN All-Academic)
2018 Beach Volleyball
During her first year with the beach program, Wright led the Ospreys to the ASUN Tournament Final before falling to top seeded Stetson. UNF finished with a 19-12 record, going 7-3 in league play.
The Ospreys had two pairs make the all-conference team, including an all-freshman honoree and an academic all-conference winner in Taryn Griffey. Additionally, the Ospreys had two ASUN pairs of the week and closed the regular season winning 12 of their final 16 matches, featuring a pair of wins over ASUN foes Jacksonville and FGCU.
Prior to UNF
Wright came to the Ospreys following a four-year stint leading the indoor and beach volleyball programs at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, Calif (2014-17). She started both programs and led the Spartans to five conference championships and a state title in beach volleyball.
Joining MiraCosta in January of 2014, Wright quickly built a strong program with the indoor squad posting an 80-28 (74.1 win percentage) record. Under her tutelage, the Spartans produced one All-American, two all-state, three all-region, two conference players and a beach duo of the year award winners. She also collected a pair of conference coach of the year awards. Wright was named an AVCA Top 30 Coaches under Thirty Award winner in 2012.
Owning over a decade of head coaching experience, Wright was a championship winning coach in the high school ranks before going to MiraCosta. She led Tri-City Christian to eight consecutive CIF San Diego Section Championships, five So-Cal Regional Championships and a California State Championship runner-up finish. At Santa Fe Christian, she guided the team to a California State Championship, SoCal Regional Championship and league championship.
In 13 years as a head coach, Wright’s teams have won a championship in 12, earning multiple titles in several seasons. Her prep pupils collected two all-American and seven player of the year laurels. Additionally, she was inducted into the San Diego Breitbard Coaching Hall of Fame in 2016.
Along with a successful coaching career, Wright was a four-year starter at the University of San Diego. She earned AVCA All-American and All-Region honors while also garnering three WCC All-Conference accolades during her career with the Toreros.
Wright earned her bachelor's degree in history from San Diego in 2006 and is in the process of completing her master's degree from Azusa Pacific University.
She is married to Doug Wright, and the couple are the parents of children, Bradyn and Kylee.
What Coach Wright says
“My family and I are thrilled to join the UNF family. I am eager to work with our staff and student-athletes as we build a championship program in indoor and beach. I am well prepared and have outstanding experience in running a program that has both indoor and beach and our goal is to be the best mid-major school in the country that sponsors both. To become a championship program, it requires vision, hard work, and buy-in from everyone. We have to know where we want to go as a program and put in the time and work necessary to get there. You can build a championship culture and still have tight knit relationships on the team. Bringing a vision to fruition is what I’ve always done, and I plan to do it again at UNF.”
| Year |
Overall Record |
ASUN Record |
| 2018 |
19-12 (.612) |
7-3 |
| 2019 |
20-14 (.588) |
6-2 |
| 2020* |
2-6 (.250) |
--- |
| 2021 |
24-10 (.706) |
N/A^ |
| Overall |
65-42 (.607) |
13-5 (.722) |
*Season shortened to eight matches due to the events surrounding COVID-19
^ASUN standings weren't recorded this season.
