Courtesy of Fresno State Athletics:
FRESNO, Calif. – Leisa Rosen has been named Fresno State’s head volleyball coach, Director of Athletics Terry Tumey announced on Thursday.
“We are excited to welcome Leisa Rosen to Fresno State as the next leader of our Volleyball program,” Tumey said. “Leisa brings over two decades of experience at the highest level to the Valley. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated her ability to recruit and develop elite student-athletes, foster academic success and build a highly competitive program.”
Rosen joins the Bulldogs’ program after spending the last 24 seasons at Michigan, the last 22 as the associate head coach, working alongside her husband and head coach Mark Rosen for the Wolverines.
“I am very excited for this opportunity,” Rosen said. “I want to thank Carrie Coll (chair of the search committee and Fresno State’s Senior Associate Athletics Director, SWA) and Terry Tumey for entrusting me to lead this program. In my first head coaching opportunity, I want our program to be very passionate, play hard and really enjoy the game and competition. Those are great recipes for success and things we can control. I’m going to grow and challenge our players, and develop strong athletes – whether they are in their first year or last year – and be great representatives of Fresno State and role models. I can’t wait to get there and get to work.”
In her time in Ann Arbor, Rosen coached 12 All-Americans and guided the Wolverines to postseason play 19 times. Michigan earned a total of 468 victories, including 66 wins over Top 25 opponents in her tenure and was ranked or received votes in the AVCA Top 25 poll in each of the last 14 seasons.
Compiling 20 winning seasons in her tenure, the Wolverines advanced to seven Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights and the 2012 Final Four. Michigan racked up 38 All-Big Ten selections, 25 AVCA All-Americans and in the classroom earned 135 Academic All Big Ten honorees.
Coming off a 17-win campaign this fall that included a sweep over ninth-ranked Penn State, Rosen began at Michigan in 1999, spending her first two seasons as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach in 2001. She worked primarily with the Wolverines’ defense overseeing Michigan’s middle blockers and liberos while managing and coordinating all of Michigan’s recruiting efforts.
Prior to her time at Michigan, Rosen spent time at Boise State (1998) and Northern Michigan (1994-97), helping lead the Wildcats to the 1994 Division II National Championships and four Division II Final Four appearances racking up a 134-16 (.893) overall record.
Rosen began her coaching career with the Central Ohio Volleyball Club in 1992. She followed that with a two-year stint as the 16-Gold coach of the Kern River Volleyball Club in Bakersfield, Calif. (1993-94). While coaching the Kern River Volleyball Club, Rosen played professionally for the San Diego Spikers of the National Volleyball Association.
Before her professional coaching career, Rosen was a standout collegiate performer for the Ohio State University Buckeyes (1988-91). During her collegiate career, the Buckeyes won two Big Ten Conference championships (1989, ’91) and advanced to the 1991 NCAA Championship Semifinals.
Rosen also garnered numerous individual accolades at Ohio State. As a senior, she was selected the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year, AVCA All-America second team and was the Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year. Rosen was named to the AVCA All-Mideast Region team three times (1989, ’90, ’91). She captured Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 1988 and also competed in the United States Olympic Festival in 1989 and 1991. She was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.
A native of Wasilla, Alaska, Rosen was honored as one of the 50 greatest sports figures of the 20th century from the state of Alaska by Sports Illustrated. Rosen earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Ohio State in 1992. She is married to Michigan head coach Mark Rosen, and the couple has two sons, Brady and Camero.
Fresno State Volleyball – All-Time Head Coaches
- Gloria Zufall (1965-66)
- Pat Thomson (1967-68)
- Rae Predika (1969-70)
- Leilani Overstreet (1971-1990)
- Lindy Vivas (1991-2004)
- Ruben Nieves (2005-07)
- Lauren Netherby-Sewell (2008-17)
- Jonathan Winder (2018-21)
- Abbie Wright (2022)
- Leisa Rosen (2023-present)
“Fresno State Athletics – For The V: The Central Valley” – Bulldog student-athletes, coaches, and staff proudly wear the “Green V” to show their pride in representing the Central Valley. Stories of why the Bulldogs play for the “Green V” will be shared throughout the next year with #ForTheV. To become a Bulldog Foundation member or join “The Green V Society,” please call 559-278-7160 or visit bulldogfoundation.org.
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