Arizona volleyball once again has a complete coaching staff. Head coach Rita Stubbs announced the hiring of former U.S. National Men’s Team member Ryan Ammerman on Wednesday.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ryan to Arizona and complete our coaching staff,” Stubbs said in the press release. “Ryan has played at the highest level for the United States Men’s National Team and will bring a very high level of volleyball expertise to our staff and program. He comes from a family that was very involved in volleyball and will strengthen
our player development with his knowledge and passion for the sport.”
Ammerman joins associate head coach Ryan Windisch and newly hired assistant coach Jhenna Gabriel on the staff. They give Stubbs a complete coaching staff for just the second time in her four seasons.
Ammerman will take over the training of the pins which was handled by Simone Asque-Favia last season. Asque-Favia moved to New York with her husband after he took a new position there. Gabriel gives the Wildcats a dedicated setting coach after former setting coach Steven Duhoux took a position with Ohio State men’s volleyball last spring. Windisch trained the setters last season, but he will be able to focus on his specialty of liberos and defensive specialists this year. Stubbs handles the middle blockers.
Ammerman brings a great deal of experience to the staff both as a player and a coach. The native of Anchorage, Alaska was a setter for UC Irvine in his college days. He helped lead the squad to two national titles in 2007 and 2009. He was honored as All-MPSF First Team, AVCA All-American First Team, and NCAA Most Outstanding Player in 2009.
He continued his career overseas after graduating, playing professionally in Spain, Sweden, Slovenia, Italy, Belgium, and Croatia. He helped win titles in 2011 and 2013 while in Croatia. He also played for the U.S. Men’s National Team from 2010-2015 and was a member of the team’s Pan Am Cup Championship run in 2012.
Ammerman started his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater in 2013. He returned to UC Irvine in a fulltime position in 2022, helping the team reach the Big West Tournament title game.
Ammerman moved to the East Coast to join the staff at Maryland in 2023. He spent the last three years coaching the Terrapins before heading back out West to join Stubbs at Arizona.
He has also coached at the club level in California and Colorado. In Colorado, he worked with players at Front Range Volleyball Club (FRVBC) and Elevation Volleyball Club. He coached at Balboa Bay Boys Volleyball Club in California. He helped four teams reach USAV Junior National Championships.
