Friday, February 17, 2017
by Seattle Pacific Athletic Communications

SEATTLE – Just seven weeks ago when the calendar flipped to 2017, the idea of moving to Seattle to become a head volleyball coach for the first time was nowhere on Abbie Wright's radar.
 
Now, it's happening – and quickly.
 
Wright, the 2015 NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year at Biola University in Los Angeles, has been named as the new head coach at Seattle Pacific.
 
"I think it's going to be a great fit," Wright said. "I feel like it's a place where the culture of the program and the environment have been set up really well by Chris Johnson. It's a place that has great kids and competitive volleyball. Seeing the location and the quality of the school – it's everything I would want to be a part of."
 
The 28-year-old Wright takes over for Chris Johnson, who announced his retirement last month after 12 years at the Falcons' helm. She becomes just the fourth head coach in the 31-year history of the program.
 
"After spending time with Abbie, it was immediately evident that her No. 1 passion is the development of young women, and loves that volleyball can be the laboratory for that change in their lives," SPU Athletic Director Jackson Stava said. "She is a coach who brings energy, competitiveness, tenacity, and intentionality, not only to the volleyball court, but to every person whom she encounters.
 
"I am proud to have her as part of our team," Stava added, "and am confident that her players, colleagues, the university, and the Seattle community will be equally as impressed with her once they get a chance to meet her."
 
Wright served the past four seasons as an assistant under head coach Aaron Seltzer at Biola, which is transitioning to NCAA Division II and will join the Pacific West Conference next season. During her first year in 2013, the Eagles reached the NAIA national championship match before falling short of University of Texas-Brownsville.
 
The Eagles returned to the tournament in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Their overall record during those four seasons was 115-24. The 2014 campaign included a share of the Golden State Athletic Conference title.
 
In 2015, the program achieved its first-ever No. 1 national ranking. It was after that year when Wright earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association / NAIA Southwest Region and National Assistant Coach of the Year Award. Following the 2016 season, she was named to AVCA's "30 Under 30" list. That honor recognizes top coaches across all levels of the game who are age 30 or younger.
 
"I think being a young coach, I'm ready to grow alongside my players," Wright said. "I'm a student of the game, and that's something I really take pride in, constantly searching for the best way to do things. I'm prepared to work hard and stay a student of the game, and to grow, and get better in my coaching style."
 
A setter during her days on the court, Wright still owns the Biola records for most matches played (143), most sets played (508), and service aces (182). Her teams made it to NAIAs all four years, advancing the semifinals in 2007 and 2008, and to the quarterfinals in 2010.
 
Wright graduated in 2010 with a degree in sociology, and minors in mathematics and Biblical studies. She was recruited by SPU before ultimately deciding to attend Biola.