WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary's University athletic director Brian Sisson announced Tuesday that Amber Zitzow has been named the next Cardinal head volleyball coach.
 
"We are excited to welcome Amber to the Saint Mary's and Cardinal athletics family," Sisson said. "Her knowledge of the game, past successes as a head coach, vision for the program, ties to the area, and positive impact on student-athletes she has worked with stood out in the process. 
 
"We look forward to Amber connecting with our student-athletes and taking our program to new heights," Sisson added. "I have no doubt she will help our student-athletes reach their full potential."
 
Zitzow comes to Saint Mary's after spending the past season as an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota-Morris, where she helped guide the Cougars to a 15-14 overall record, including a 10-4 record in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) and a berth in the UMAC Tournament semifinals.
 
Zitzow joined the UM-Morris staff after 12 seasons at Rochester Community Technical College (RCTC), the first four as an assistant coach and the last eight as the Yellowjackets' head coach.
 
"I am extremely honored to be named Saint Mary's new head volleyball coach," said Zitzow. "I would like to thank athletic director Brian Sisson and the search committee for making this process very enjoyable, believing in me, and trusting me to lead this well-known program.
 
"I look forward to the challenge of motivating athletes to grow and reach their full potential while maintaining their classroom performances. I am ready to get to work."
 
Zitzow led RCTC to a 187-41 record in eight seasons. Including a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III national championship in 2015, third-place finishes in 2014 and 2018, and a fourth-place finish in 2019. She also coached nine NJCAA All-Americans, four American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Americans, and 72 NJCAA All-Academic recipients. In 2015, she was named NJCAA Division III National Coach of the Year, and in 2019 she was the AVCA Two-Year College West Region Coach of the Year.
 
Zitzow graduated from Winona State University with degrees in recreation and tourism, coaching, and adventure travel and tourism. She added a master's degree in coaching and athletics administration from Concordia University-Irvine in 2021.