Director

Sam Crosson

Sam Crosson enters his fourth year at the helm of the Cal program in 2022.

Cal raced to a 7-3 record to start the 2021 season, which was highlighted by a Pacific Tournament title and senior Mima Mirkovic’s career day on Aug. 27 when she reached 1,000 total digs and 1,000 total kills, becoming just the 8th player in program history to do so. The Bears then commenced one of the most difficult conference schedules in the nation, playing ranked opponents no fewer than 11 times. Two players – Lydia Grote and Leah Schmidt – were later invited to USA Volleyball’s National Team Open Program.

In the 2020-21 spring season, Crosson oversaw Lydia Grote’s Pac-12 All-Freshman campaign, crowned by her 11 matches with double-digit kills, as well as the Bears’ first win against Stanford since the 2011 season. The team also received its second straight AVCA Team Academic Award.

In Crosson's first year at Cal, he led the Golden Bears to a 20-10 record in 2019 for the first 20-win campaign since the 2013 season for Cal, falling just short of an NCAA Tournament bid. Crosson coached Mima Mirkovic to AVCA Pacific North All-Region honors that year, and four players earned All-Conference honors (Mirkovic, Preslie Anderson, Lauren Forte, Maddie Haynes). Cal spent eight weeks of the 2019 season ranked in the Top-25 of the AVCA Coaches Poll.

Crosson, a two-time Big West Coach of the Year, returned to Berkeley to lead the program after seven seasons at Cal Poly, where he successfully rebuilt a Mustangs program into a national contender with back-to-back postseason runs in 2017 and ‘18.

He was an assistant at Cal from 2010-12 under longtime head coach Rich Feller, when the Bears made consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including the program’s lone appearance in the title game in 2010. The Bears also claimed the Pac-10 trophy that season.

In his 20 years of collegiate coaching experience, Crosson has become a pillar of Bay Area collegiate volleyball with stops at Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s, where he assisted both women’s programs. He began his coaching career as a men’s volleyball assistant at nearby Pacific, his alma mater. As a head coach Crosson owns an overall record of 116-83, all with the Mustangs.

Touted as a technician, Crosson was named the AVCA Pacific North and Big West Coach of the Year in 2017 after leading the Mustangs to their most successful season in program history with a 27-3 record. Cal Poly also picked up a Big West title after going undefeated in league play, seven all-conference members, three AVCA All-Americans, and made an appearance in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Additionally, the Mustangs' Taylor Nelson, who was one of 12 players selected to the U.S. Women’s Collegiate National Team Thailand Tour earlier in the spring, was named Big West Player of the Year.

That same year, Crosson also led Cal Poly to its first sweep of perennial powerhouse Hawai’i since 1985 in front of the team’s first sellout crowd since 2006 at Mott Athletics Center.

Crosson doubled-down on 2017’s success this past season when the Mustangs earned their highest national ranking (11th) since 2008 and were just two wins shy of 2017’s record (25-3). Again, Cal Poly clinched the conference title, added six players to the All-Big West team and made it to the post season, while Crosson picked up his second consecutive conference coach of the year honor. The Mustangs closed the season ranked 22nd, which was also highlighted by a pair of AVCA All-America nods for Adlee Van Winden and Torrey Van Winden, who was named the Big West Player of the Year. It was the second such honor for both sisters and the first back-to-back All-Americans for the program since 2010.

The Mustangs’ also finished 2018 ranked sixth nationally in match win-loss percentage (.893) and seventh in hitting percentage (.290).

The past two seasons at Cal Poly were a far cry from where the program started during Crosson’s first year at the helm, when the team went 4-26. However, the Crosson effect had been established and improvement was noticed immediately following a difficult start.

The next season in 2013, the Mustangs posted their first of six consecutive double-digit win seasons. They also picked up a pair of all-conference honors in senior Chelsea Hardin (first team) and freshman Taylor Gruenewald (honorable mention and freshman team), who became a first team honoree her junior and senior seasons.

Cal Poly’s 2015 squad went 19-8 overall, a 10-match turnaround from 2014, earned the team a third-place conference finish, which was the best since 2010. Cal Poly landed four players on the All-Big West First Team, including Gruenewald, Nelson and Raeann Greisen and outside hitter Adlee Van Winden. Van Winden also won the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year.

During the 2016 season, Cal Poly finished with a record of 19-9 and third in the conference standings for a second straight season. Some of the season highlights included a six-match winning streak and a win over No. 19 Western Kentucky. Three players were named All-Conference First Team, including middle blocker Gruenewald, Nelson, and Greisen. Nelson also earned AVCA All-Region honors, the first Mustang to receive the honor since 2011.

Regarded for his recruiting, Crosson has coached 21 all-conference honorees and entering the 2014 campaign, Cal Poly’s recruiting class was ranked 23rd nationally by PrepVolleyball.com.

Crosson graduated from Pacific in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in sports sciences. He then earned his master’s in sports sciences from Pacific in 2005.

One of the top attackers in program history during his playing career at Pacific (1994-97), Crosson still ranks third all-time in aces (86), fifth in digs (689), sixth in hitting attempts (2,117), seventh in kills (948), 15th in total blocks (218), 17th in kills per set (2.88) and 22nd in total assists (119). Also ranked 14th in Pacific history with 329 sets played, Crosson was voted team Most Valuable Player for the 1997 season.

As a professional, Crosson played one season for Herentals Volleyball Club in Belgium.

A native of Santa Cruz, Crosson and his wife, Courtney, have two daughters, Makenna and Logan.