PORTLAND – Portland State Volleyball Head Coach Michael Seemann has added Tara Hittle as an assistant coach for the 2017 season. She brings a tremendous amount of experience, both as a Division I and professional player, and as a coach and recruiter.
                                                                                                     
"We are very pleased to announce that Tara will be joining the Viking Volleyball program this Spring," Seemann said. "Tara brings a wealth of experience to our program. Her experience as a player, and as a coach, has prepared her to be a very effective coach for our program. Tara's approach to teaching will have an immediate impact on our student-athletes. She is very positive, demanding, and knows how to get a team to win."
 
Hittle spent the 2016 season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Dartmouth College. Prior to that, she was a high school and club volleyball coach in Colorado. She was the head volleyball coach at Valor Christian High School (2014-15) and Doherty High School (2011-14). She took Doherty HS to the 2012 State Championship, received the Army National Guard Tour of Champions Award, and was named the Colorado Coach of the Year, all in 2012.
 
Also during that time, Hittle was the head coach of the Colorado Juniors Volleyball Club (2011-16). She led her team to two Colorado Crossroads Championships (2015 and 2016) and to a second-place finish at the 2016 National Tournament. She guided here players through the college recruiting process, resulting in 100-percent of players going on to play at the next level.
 
"Her experience as a club coach in a very strong Rocky Mountain Region has prepared her to get the most out of her players," Seemann added. "She clearly knows how to develop individuals, and how to build strong teams. Her ties to the RMR will allow Portland State to continue to pull top talent out of the Colorado area."
 
Hittle graduated from the University of Hawaii in 2009 with a degree in Physical Education and Health. While there, she was a two-sport athlete, participating in both volleyball and basketball. She remains in the all-time record books for volleyball in career digs (4th; 1,315) and digs per game (7th; 2.83). She was also a four-time letter winner.
 
After leaving Hawaii, Hittle went on to play professionally for the Volleyball Franches-Montagnes in Switzerland for the 2010-11 season.