California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Volleyball

One of the top defensive players in West Coast Conference history, Caroline Walters enters her sixth season as head coach of the Cal Poly volleyball program in 2025 after being hired in December of 2018. Prior to being named head coach, she spent two seasons as the team's associate head coach and eight seasons as an assistant coach. Overall, Walters is in her 17th year with the program. 2024 was arguably her greatest at the Cal Poly helm, as Walters put together a season for the books. Under her leadership, the Mustangs not only clinched the top seed for the Big West Championships but also its first conference regular season title since 2018. Walters' first title since taking over full-time in 2019 comes in the same season the revered head coach reached the coveted 100 career wins milestone. Cal Poly ended the regular season as the only Big West team with 20+ overall wins in 2024, and this also marks the third straight campaign in which the Mustangs have earned 14 conference wins. In her first season as head coach in 2019, Walters guided the program to a 21-9 overall record, a 13-3 conference record; good for a second place finish, its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and a five-set comeback win over Georgia in the first round of the tournament. A four-year letterwinner and three-time All-West Coast Conference honorable mention selection at Santa Clara (2003-07), Walters remains second in league history with 1,932 career digs and ranks first in Bronco program hist

Addie Picha, a standout middle blocker at the University of San Diego, was hired as assistant coach of the Cal Poly volleyball program in the winter of 2023 and enters her third season with the Mustangs in 2025. Picha joins the Mustangs' staff after spending the last two seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina, where she helped coach six players who earned All-Big South honors. Prior to that, she spent one season as a volunteer assistant coach at University of San Diego in 2020-21 in which the Toreros reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. As a middle blocker for the Toreros, Picha was a four-year standout as she was twice named an AVCA All-American and First Team All-West Coast Conference. She was also selected to the U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team in 2018. As a senior in 2018, she helped lead the Toreros to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament as she led the team in hitting percentage (.389), blocks (166), and blocks per set (1.48) that season. She finished her USD career tied for third all-time in program history in hitting percentage (.365), fourth in total blocks (452) and block assists (346), and seventh in solo blocks (106). Following her indoor career at San Diego, Picha played one season of beach volleyball at Washington in 2020. A Puyallup, Wash. native, Picha graduated from USD with a psychology degree in 2019.

Frank Pham returns to the Cal Poly Volleyball program for the 2026 season after previously serving four years (2022–25) as a student technical coordinator, bringing with him a deep understanding of the program's operations and a strong analytical background. During his tenure, Pham played an integral role behind the scenes, overseeing equipment setup and coordinating all game day preparations to ensure a seamless environment for both athletes and coaching staff. He also worked extensively with Volleystation and Volleymetrics, contributing detailed performance analysis and helping translate data into actionable insights that supported player development and match strategy. A native of San Jose, California, Pham graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration, with a concentration in Sport and Recreation Management. His academic experience, combined with his hands-on involvement in collegiate athletics, has equipped him with a well-rounded perspective on sport operations and team performance. Before arriving at Cal Poly, Pham played volleyball at Independence High School, where he developed a strong foundation in the sport. In addition to his playing career, he gained valuable experience as a student manager for the girls' volleyball team, an early role that sparked his interest in the operational and analytical side of athletics. He also served as a coach for the Cal Poly Men's Club Volleyball team, helping lead the program to a top-three

Sam Crosson, a two-time Big West Coach of the Year and AVCA West Region Coach of the Year, begins his first year associate head coach in Fall 2026. He returns to the Mustangs after a seven-year coaching stint in the Bay Area, serving as head coach for the California Golden Bears and West Valley College Vikings. During his tenure at Cal Poly, Crosson compiled a 114-83 record across seven seasons at Mott Athletics Center (2012-18) before stepping down as head coach to lead the California Golden Bears. His legendary 2017 and 2018 teams both made the NCAA postseason and still stand as some of the program's all-time best. In 2017, Crosson was named AVCA Pacific North Region and Big West Coach of the Year after guiding the Mustangs to their most successful season in program history with a 27-3 record. Cal Poly also secured a Big West title after going undefeated in Big West Conference play. Crosson doubled down on that success in 2018, leading the Mustangs to their highest national ranking (No. 11) since 2008 and finishing just two wins shy of matching the previous year's record at 25-5. Regarded for his technical acumen and recruiting prowess, Crosson has coached 21 Division I All-Conference honorees, All-Americans, and the 2010 AVCA Player of the Year. Crosson graduated from Pacific in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in sports sciences and earned his master's in sports sciences from the university in 2005. A native of Santa Cruz, California, Crosson and his wife, Courtney, have two