Ferris State Volleyball Appoints Christa Jung As School's New Assistant Coach

Big Rapids, Mich. - Defending NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Champion Ferris State University has announced the appointment of Christa Jung as the school's new assistant volleyball coach.

Jung, who played collegiately in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) at Michigan Tech University, most recently has served as a volunteer assistant coach at NCAA Division I Montana State. She replaces former Bulldog assistant coach Jesse Ortiz, who recently was hired as a Division I assistant at Miami (Ohio) following three seasons on the Ferris State staff.

"Christa is a dynamic coach with a great attitude and strong work ethic," said FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, who will embark on her 19th campaign at the Bulldog helm this fall. "It is obvious she loves the game of volleyball and growing that love in others. 

"She has a variety of experiences in collegiate volleyball as both a player and a coach that will aid in her transition to Ferris State," she added. "Her adaptability and desire to help the players achieve success will allow her to integrate into our program quickly. We are thrilled to add Christa to our Bulldog family and believe she will have an immediate and positive impact on our program."

An Andover, Minn., native, Jung joined the Montana State staff this past January after three years as a Division II assistant coach at the University of Mary (N.D.). In her short tenure at Montana State, she gained experience coaching at the NCAA's largest level and assisted with practice planning, skill development, travel arrangements and more during the spring campaign.

Prior to Montana State, Jung served from 2011-13 on the Division II level at the University of Mary. She began her stint with the Marauders as a graduate assistant and was involved with nearly all phases of the program in her three seasons, including scouting, recruiting, film breakdown, practice planning, skill development, budget, travel and equipment. Additionally, she gained experienced as the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) advisor for two years.

In addition to serving as the Marauders' assistant coach, Jung also was the creator and club director of the North Dakota Premier Volleyball Club in Bismarck from 2011-13. As the director, she managed tryouts, budgeting, tournament organization and oversaw coaches along with serving as a head coach.

Jung began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach on the NCAA Division III level at St. Catherine (Minn.) University in 2010 where she worked primarily with blockers and assisted in the recruiting duties as the Wildcats qualified for the conference tournament for the first time in over 16 years. Also, she was a coach with the Minnesota Premier and Minnesota Select club teams with her Select team finishing in the top 20 at the AAU National Tournament. Prior to her appointment at St. Catherine, she worked as a college campus recruiter for the North Star Resource Group in St. Paul, Minn.

Jung graduated Magna Cum Laude from Michigan Tech in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in coaching. A two-time team captain and four-year letterwinner, Jung led the Huskies to two NCAA Division II Regional Tournament appearances and three GLIAC Tournament bids as a student-athlete. She also helped MTU lead the nation in blocks during her collegiate career. 

Off the court, Jung was president of Blue Key Honor Society, a member of the Michigan Tech SAAC organization along with being the Psychology Department representative on the Student Commission Board at MTU. The standout was nominated for MTU's President's Leadership Award in 2008-09. She received a master's degree in Strategic Leadership at the University of Mary. 

Ferris State closed a memorable 2013 campaign with a 25-9 overall record after nearly pulling off a major win over eventual national runner-up BYU-Hawaii in their first appearance deep on the national stage since the late 1980's. FSU, which made its 18th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance last fall, claimed a regional crown to reach the Elite Eight and national quarterfinals for only the third time in school history and first since 1989.

Last year marked Ferris State's first regional championship since previously winning two back in 1987 and 1989. The Bulldogs reached at least the regional semifinals for the third year in a row and have now made the NCAA Tournament nine times under Brandel-Wilhelm, who led FSU to the Elite Eight for the first time in her tenure after notching her 500th career victory in an exciting 3-2 comeback win over archrival Grand Valley State in the Midwest Regional title match in Allendale.

The Bulldogs also placed tied for second last season in the GLIAC with a 15-3 overall record, reached the conference tournament for the 16th consecutive year and posted 20 wins or more for the 12th time in 18 seasons under Brandel-Wilhelm's direction.

Ferris State is slated to open the fall 2014 season by taking part in the highly-competitive University of Tampa Invitational from Sept. 4-6 in Tampa, Fla.