(Tempe, AZ) After eight years of building a nationally-ranked program across the Valley, Kristen Rohr has been hired as the third head coach in program history to begin a new era in Tempe, as announced by Vice President of University Athletics Ray Anderson.
“We are thrilled to announce the addition of Kristen Rohr to Sun Devil Athletics,” Anderson said. “A combination of consistent success at her previous stop and a desire to pursue this job made Kristen the ideal candidate to lead our beach volleyball program going forward. She has a passion and energy that is contagious, and she has a proven track record for guiding student-athletes to succeed. I am excited to see how our program develops under her leadership.”
Kristen Rohr spent eight seasons at Grand Canyon University, most recently leading the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. Rohr holds a 148-71 (.676) record as a head coach, all with the Lopes.
“I want to thank Ray Anderson, Ken Landphere, and Christina Wombacher for putting their faith in me and giving me this incredible opportunity,” Rohr said. “Throughout this process, it became clear that I shared a vision with the entire Sun Devil Athletics administration. The commitment to the beach volleyball program and the long term vision to build it into a championship program is something I am extremely excited about. The foundation is already in place and my goal is to add to that and create a program that every current and former Arizona State student-athlete will be proud of.
“With that said, I want to thank all my former student-athletes; they are a big reason I am here today. In the end, it’s all about the players, and I have been blessed to coach some phenomenal ladies over the years. To my current players here at ASU, I can’t wait to meet you and start this journey together!”
Rohr was picked by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) as the 2022 Collegiate Beach Coach of the Year after leading GCU to its first-ever NCAA Championship appearance in 2022. The GCU beach volleyball program went from being unranked in 2015 to a top-15 team in Rohr’s second season as head coach in 2017. She led the Lopes to three-straight top-10 rankings to finish the seasons from 2021-23. In her eight seasons, she led the team to three top-10 finishes, two top 15 and one top 20. In the 2020 COVID season, the team was ranked in the top 10 when the season was canceled.
Under her direction, she produced a pro player in Molly Turner, a two-time All-American. Rohr has coached six AVCA All-Americans and four AVCA Top Flight pairs (two in 2022, 2021, 2019). She led the Lopes to 41 wins over ranked opponents in her tenure. Additionally, in the last four seasons, GCU is 50-0 against unranked opponents. In the last two years, the Lopes finished with a program-best 26 wins each season.
From 2007-2015, Rohr competed professionally in beach volleyball, ranking as high as fifth in the country. She began her career with the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) and spent years on the National Volleyball League tour. During her career, she had a 10-tournament win streak and was a member of the top-ranked team in Florida for five years.
Additionally, Rohr was head coach of Cardinal Mooney High School in Sarasota, Fla., for five seasons, leading the squad to two district titles and two runner-up finishes. She co-founded the Coastline Volleyball Club team for high school athletes and served as its director and coach.
Rohr graduated from Kentucky in 2005 with a degree in family consumer science. During her collegiate career, she was a four-year starter for the Wildcats and was named All-SEC and team MVP. She received her master’s degree in counselor education from Capella University in 2011, graduating with a 3.8 GPA while being a member of the Chi Sigma Iota Honor Society.
Prior to college, Rohr competed at Venice (Fla.) High School, leading the team to a state championship and being selected as MVP during her junior and senior years.
Rohr and her husband Daniel reside in the Valley.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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