Blossom Sato

Biography

Blossom Sato is in her first season (2025) as an assistant coach for the USC women’s volleyball program. Sato previously served as an assistant coach with UC San Diego’s men’s volleyball team. She was hired in September 2024 and served on staff through the fall and the beginning of the 2025 season. Middle blocker Jim Garrison and opposite hitter Anthony Cherfan each earned Big West Defensive Player of the Week honors. Prior to joining the staff at UC San Diego, Sato got her start in coaching as a volunteer assistant with Pepperdine’s women’s program in 2019. After leaving to coach at Portland State (2020-21), she returned to Pepperdine as a full-time assistant in January 2022. With Sato, the Waves won a West Coast Conference title in 2023. That year, she coached pin-hitter Grace Chillingworth to AVCA All-America honorable mention and helped put three Waves on the AVCA’s All-Pacific South Region team. Sato received her first full-time appointment at Portland State where she served as an assistant coach from January 2020 through December 2021. With Sato on staff, the Vikings earned their first national postseason berth since 2010 and produced their first 20-win season since 2017. Three different PSU players earned All-Big Sky first-team honors including former USC libero Ellie Snook, Makayla Lewis and Parker Webb. Snook was chosen as the Big Sky Libero of the Year for a season time and became just the fifth player in league history to repeat as Libero of the Year. As a student-