In February 2016, Head Coach Michael Seemann announced the addition of Rachel Williams to the Portland State family as an assistant volleyball coach for the upcoming 2016 season.
“We are very excited to have Rachel join the Viking volleyball program,” Seemann said. “Rachel’s skill set and expertise fit nicely into our staff and team. We were looking for a coach who could have a tremendous positive impact on our student-athletes and Rachel is the right person for the job.”
A former four-year starter at the University of Arizona, Williams brings more than 10 years of coaching and recruiting experience to the Portland State volleyball program. Williams enters her first season on the Park Blocks after spending last season as an assistant coach Louisiana Tech. Prior to that she spent a season as an assistant coach at Northern Arizona, where she was responsible for pre- and post-match film breakdowns, weekly match analysis and court training among other duties.
Williams joins the Vikings’ staff after coaching at a variety of levels. Prior to her time at Louisiana Tech and NAU, she spent two years as an assistant coach at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University after serving as an assistant coach for two seasons at Yavapai College from 2011-12. Previously, Williams was also an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California, where the Sea Lions ended the season fifth in the nation (NAIA).
While coaching at the collegiate level in Northern Arizona, Williams spent three years as the club director for Yavapai Juniors Volleyball Club in Prescott, Arizona. While there, she was responsible for all aspects of the club, along with guiding the squad to some of the best finishes in club history on any given level.
From 2008-09, Williams was a sports ambassador for People to People -- an organized student travel program -- in a role which allowed her to travel internationally to Holland and Austria with student-athletes for both educational and athletic purposes.
Prior to joining the coaching circuit, Williams played college volleyball at the University of Arizona from 1999-2002 and was a member of four Wildcat NCAA teams. She helped Arizona reach the Sweet 16 in 1999, the Elite Eight in 2000 and 2002 and earned a trip to the NCAA Final Four in 2001. Williams was also a key component to the Wildcats' success in 2000 when she helped lead Arizona to a Pac-10 Championship title.
Williams earned her bachelor's degree in communication with an emphasis in marketing in 2003 from Arizona before earning her master's in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University-Irvine in 2012.
