Allison Magner enters her first year as Academy of Art University head women's volleyball coach.
Magner took over as interim head coach during the 2010 season, leading the Urban Knights to a 15-12 overall record which included a 9-7 Pacific West Conference record and 4th place conference finish. This marked the third consecutive above-.500 record for a Magner-coached team since the ART U women's volleyball program began in 2008. Three players from the 2010 squad were named to the All-PacWest Team, highlighted by a First Team honor for Dan "Phooey" Yang.
As associate head coach in 2009, Magner helped lead the Knights to their second consecutive winning season with an 18-15 overall record. In the inaugural 2008 campaign, Magner guided Academy of Art to an impressive 17-12 overall record.
"I’m honored to accept the Head Women’s Volleyball position at the Academy of Art University and would like to thank Dr. Williams and President Stephens for the opportunity," Magner says. "We have made incredible gains as an Athletic Department in our first three years of existence and I plan to continue this trend as the leader of the volleyball program. I am fortunate to be surrounded by an incredible staff and group of student-athletes who are dedicated to both academic and athletic excellence. It is truly special to be an Urban Knight and an integral part of history in the making."
Magner comes to Academy of Art University with a wealth of experience from both coaching and playing at the collegiate level. In 2004, Magner was offered the assistant coach position at the University of Alabama Birmingham. In addition to assisting with on-the-floor coaching, Magner worked primarily with the middle blockers. She was also involved in practice planning, recruiting, event management, equipment, team travel, summer camps and team marketing; all of which made her a viable option for the interim head position in 2005.
Magner, who was the second-youngest head coach in Division I collegiate volleyball, led the UAB Blazers to a 14-13 record, snapping an eight-year slide of sub-.500 finishes and doing so with only nine players. The Magner-led 2005 UAB volleyball squad turned things around for the greatest single-season improvement in school history with 14 wins including eight consecutive victories to open the season. Following her time at UAB, Magner spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Western Carolina University.
A native of Lake Oswego, Oregon, Magner spent two seasons with the N.C. State Wolfpack volleyball team. She transferred to UAB and was a two-year letter winner for the Blazers in 2001 and 2002, leading UAB in blocks per game (1.05), total blocks (100), and block assists (87) during her senior year. Magner graduated with a degree in marketing and a minor in international business. She also completed her MBA at UAB in 2006.
