COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs Executive Director of Athletics Nathan Gibson has announced Tara Hittle as the next Volleyball Head Coach.  A native of Colorado Springs, Colo. and a graduate of Doherty High School, Hittle becomes the ninth head coach to lead the UCCS volleyball program.
 
"In what was an exciting and talented coaching search, I am excited to announce coach Tara Hittle as the Head Women's Volleyball Coach at UCCS," said Gibson.  "Tara is a proven winner, culture builder and outstanding recruiter.  This along with her connections to the Colorado and Colorado Springs volleyball community make her the right fit to lead this program into the future."
 
Hittle joins the Mountain Lions after serving the last three years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Pepperdine.  In three seasons at Pepperdine, Hittle helped the Waves go 57-21 (.731) overall and a staggering 44-10 (.815) in the West Coast Conference.  This past season, the Waves finished runner-up in the WCC regular season with a 14-4 record and qualified for the 2021 NCAA Division I National Tournament.
 
"I am honored and humbled to be coming back to Colorado Springs to lead the UCCS volleyball program," said Hittle. "I would like to thank Nathan Gibson, Sarah Meier, Heather Sutton, and the rest of the search committee for their confidence in me and belief in my vision for the program. I'm inspired by the school's dedication to excellence in all areas and their ambition to continuously improve. I cannot wait to get started with the team as we pursue greatness and work toward building a championship culture here at UCCS."
 
Since working with the Pepperdine Waves in 2019, Hittle helped coach three Waves to AVCA All-American status, six all-region performances and 15 student-athletes to All-WCC honors.  The Waves made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA National Tournament (2020 and 2021), while also earning AVCA Top-25 rankings in the last two seasons.
 
Prior to spending three seasons at Pepperdine, Hittle was an assistant coach at Duke University. In 2018, Hittle helped the Blue Devils squad to a 16-12 overall record and a fifth place finish in the ACC, as well as a NCAA First Round appearance. She helped three Blue Devils to All-ACC performances, while also guiding two to AVCA All-American accolades.
 
She spent the 2017 season at Portland State University as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.  She helped the Vikings finish 21-9 overall, posting their ninth 20-win season since 1996.  Hittle coached the Big Sky Libero of the Year at PSU, and four student-athletes to All-Big Sky honors (three first team selections).  Before Portland State, she spent time as a member of the Dartmouth coaching staff in 2016. 
 
Hittle graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in December 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and Health.  A two-sport Division I student-athlete, Hittle competed in volleyball and basketball for the Rainbow Wahine.  She was named the 2004 Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and guided UH to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2004 and 2005, and an Elite 8 appearance in 2006 and 2008.  A three-year team captain, Hittle earned All-WAC honors in three different positions – outside hitter, right side and libero.   She ranks fifth all-time in the UH career record book for digs (1,315 digs) and ninth in digs per set (2.83).  After graduating from Hawaii, Hittle played professionally for the Volleyball Franches-Montagnes in Switzerland during the 2010-11 season.

From 2011-16, she served as a high school and club volleyball coach in Colorado, serving as the head volleyball coach at Valor Christian High School from 2014-15 and Doherty High School from 2011-14.  She led DHS to a 2012 State Championship title and was named 2012 Colorado Coach of the Year.  At Doherty, Hittle coached two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, Haleigh Washington, who went on to win a Gold Medal at the 2021 Olympics.