Sarah Gustin became the eighth coach in the 34-year history of the PLNU volleyball program when she was hired on January 25, 2011. She also serves as the Assistant Athletic Director for Academic and Student Affairs and as Senior Woman Administrator (SWA). Her administration duties include overseeing the PLNU Student Athletic Advisory Council and assisting in athletic program’s transition from the NAIA to the NCAA DII.
In her first year at the helm of the Point Loma volleyball program Gustin led the team to a 20-10 overall mark and a fourth-place tie in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Sea Lions won their NAIA Opening Round match when they beat Cal State San Marcos 3-1. The team then advanced to Sioux City, Iowa, final site of nationals, recording a 1-2 record in pool play.
Two Sea Lions were named NAIA All-Americans: Tabitha Henken (first team) and Alyssa Dwyer (second team) with Aimee Bird earning both GSAC and NAIA Scholar-Athlete status.
Before coming to PLNU, Gustin served as an assistant coach at Indiana University for three seasons (2007-10). Her duties for the Hoosiers included recruiting coordinator, managing all aspects of recruiting, evaluating prospective student-athletes and coordinating international recruiting efforts.
In addition to recruiting, Gustin oversaw the Hoosiers’ defensive strategies, helped develop and implement game plans and supervised the academic progress of student-athletes. In her time at Indiana she worked with 14 Big Ten All-Academic selections, eight Big Ten Players of the Week and the program’s first-ever All-American.
Gustin also served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at College of Charleston, helping the team win the Southern Conference Championship in 2003, 2005, and 2006. She began her career in 2002 as an assistant coach at Cal Poly.
Internationally, Gustin served as an assistant coach on the USA Volleyball Junior National A2 team in 2006, as well as an assistant coach on the USA BIP Global Challenge team that played in Pula, Croatia, in 2007.
As a player, Gustin competed at Michigan State, spending four seasons on the team (1997-00). She earned All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten honors in her final three seasons for the Spartans.
