Christa Cooper
Christa Cooper

Bio

Ferris State University announced the appointment of Christa Cooper as the school's new assistant volleyball coach prior to the 2014 campaign. The 2018 season will represent her fourth year with the Bulldogs and she was recently named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association's "Top 30 Under 30" coaching list.

In her first season with the Bulldogs in 2014, Cooper helped FSU claim the GLIAC's regular season and tournament titles while making an NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal appearance. 

Then, in 2015, Cooper helped the Bulldogs vault to number one in the nation for the first time in school history. FSU finished with a 33-3 overall record, boasting the nation's highest winning percentage, and claimed both the GLIAC Regular-Season and Tournament Championships. The Bulldogs also hosted the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament and earned runner-up honors. 

Ferris State followed up its historic 2015 season by winning a third-straight GLIAC Regular-Season Championship in 2016 and the program's third consecutive league tournament title. FSU also again hosted the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament and reached the D2 Sweet Sixteen for the second consecutive campaign. In 2017, the Bulldogs won their fourth-straight conference regular season and tournament championships while again reaching the regional semifinals.

Cooper, who played collegiately in the GLIAC at Michigan Tech University, most recently had served as a volunteer assistant coach at NCAA Division I Montana State. She replaced former Bulldog assistant coach Jesse Ortiz, who  was hired as a Division I assistant at Miami (Ohio) following three seasons on the Ferris State staff.

An Andover, Minn., native, Cooper joined the Montana State staff 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, Cooper 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, Cooper 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.

Cooper 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.

Cooper 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, Cooper 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, Cooper 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.

Cooper and her husband, Gary, were married in 2016 and reside near Big Rapids.