Friday, December 16, 2022
by Alaska Anchorage Athletic Communications

ANCHORAGE – A longtime assistant and former Seawolf player, Stacie Meisner has been named the next head coach of the University of Alaska Anchorage volleyball program.

Meisner becomes the seventh head coach in program history. She takes the reins after six years coaching alongside Chris Green, the most successful coach in program history, who announced his resignation last month.

“As an alum and former player, I am thrilled to be in this new role as head coach,” said Meisner, a 2011 UAA graduate. “I am deeply committed to the success and well-being of our student-athletes and am excited to give back to the institution that has played such a crucial role in my development. I look forward to building on the strong foundation that Coach Green established, and leading the Seawolf volleyball program to new heights. I’d like to thank athletic director Swartwood and everyone in the administration for their support in this process and trust in me to take over leadership of the program.”

In her six years on Green’s staff, Meisner helped the Seawolves achieve a 119-42 record and NCAA Championships appearances in four of those five non-COVID-19 affected seasons. UAA has also gone a combined 74-20 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference during her assistant-coaching tenures, finishing no worse than third place and capturing the league title in 2022.

“We are thrilled to have Stacie Meisner serve as our next volleyball coach,” Swartwood said. “Her experience as a former student-athlete and assistant coach made her our top candidate for continued success with the program.”

In her first season as top assistant in 2019, UAA finished 23-7, placed GNAC runner-up by just one match and advanced to the NCAA West Regional semifinals. After helping the Seawolves to an 11-4 mark in the shortened 2020-21 campaign, she returned in 2021 to help the Seawolves post a 19-win campaign and another NCAA Tournament berth.

In her role as associate head coach this past season, the Gering, Nebraska native was instrumental in helping UAA to 27-3 record – the second-best in program history – and the No. 1 NCAA West Region seed. The 2022 Seawolves reached as high as No. 4 in the AVCA Top 25 poll and finished at No. 10, producing national player of the year Eve Stephens and fellow All-American Ellen Floyd.

Meisner has also aided UAA teams that have excelled in the classroom. Most recently, all four UAA seniors earned spots on this year’s College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Volleyball Team, led by Lisa Jaunet’s 4.00 GPA.

Meisner began her collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant on UAA’s 2011 club that went 18-9 and earned an NCAA berth. She rejoined UAA in the same capacity in 2018 and was promoted to top assistant in 2019.

Meisner was the executive director of the Anchorage Sports Association from 2015-18, helping guide the state’s largest adult and youth recreational sports organization. She has also been an active volunteer in the community, serving as director of the IMPACT Volleyball Club, an assistant volleyball coach at West Anchorage High School and with the Seawolf Athlete Alumni Chapter.

UAA’s starting libero from 2008-09, Meisner was part of Green’s first two Seawolf teams, helping spark the program’s turnaround. In 2009, she led UAA with 4.54 digs and 0.36 aces per set as the Seawolves won their first GNAC title, reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament and equaled the best record in school history at 23-8. An honorable mention All-GNAC and academic all-conference honoree, she finished No. 2 in digs per set (4.53) and No. 3 in aces per set (.357) on UAA’s career lists.

Meisner graduated with magna cum laude honors in English in 2011 before earning her Master of Arts in English from UAA in 2015.