Head Coach Carolyn Zimmerman wrapped up her 13th season at thehelm of the Cal State Fullerton volleyball program in 2014. In 13seasons, she transformed the Titans - a team that won just fivetimes in her first season in 2002 - into Big West Conferencechampions and postseason contenders in 2010.
Zimmerman entered the 2014 season as the winningest coach in CalState Fullerton history in both number of wins and winningpercentage. The head coach has compiled a 181-206 overall recordand a .468 winning percentage, and is the longest tenured Titanvolleyball head coach in program history.
Zimmerma was named the 2010 Big West Coach of the Year and was aCVU.com national coach of the year honorable mention after guidingthe Titans - picked to finish fifth in the Big West - to amiraculous 26-6 overall record and a dominant 14-2 league mark. TheCinderella season resulted in the school's first league title andNCAA postseason appearance.
Zimmerman's 2010 Titans lost three times over the first sevenmatches of the year, then turned things around, winning 16 of theirlast 18 heading into their NCAA first round game against ColoradoState in Palo Alto, Calif.
The Titans earned their first postseason berth by winning itsshare of the Big West crown on Nov. 19, 2010. The Titans gaveZimmerman a great 40th birthday present, beating UC Irvine in foursets to clinch a share of the league championship in Irvine'sCrawford Gym. But moments later, Cal State Northridge upsetsecond-place Long Beach State to secure the Titans' first automaticbid to the NCAA postseason.
That win against the Anteaters not only ended Long Beach State'stwo-year reign as conference champs, but earned the Titans the L.A.Sports Council's Greatest Div. I Sports Moment of 2010, an awardZimmerman accepted at the council's annual gala in Beverly Hills inFebruary, 2011.
For the second straight year in 2010, the Titans beat a rankedopponent (No. 21 San Diego on Sept. 22) and eventually broke intothe AVCA Top 25 the final two weeks of their season. It was thefirst time any Titan volleyball team had been recognized in anational poll. Fullerton beat its first ranked opponent in 2009,when the club upset No. 7 UCLA in five games on Sept. 8, 2009 inTitan Gym.
Under Zimmerman's watch, the Titans have won at least 15 matchesfor six of the last seven seasons (2006-10, 2012), produced theirfirst four winning seasons (2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010) since 1996,celebrated their first winning conference record (9-7) in 2008, andregistered their winningest league record (14-2) and set a schoolbenchmark for overall wins (26) in 2010.
In producing the program's best teams over the last decade-plus,she has also mentored the most decorated group of players in theprogram's history. Her teams have produced a trio of AVCAAll-American honorable mentions (Erin Saddler, 2010; Kayla Neto,2009 & 2012; Brittany Moore, 2008), a pair of Big West Playersof the Year (Saddler , 2010 & Moore, 2008), a Big WestFreshman of the Year (Neto, 2009), 32 All-Big West Conferenceselections and 23 of Fullerton's 27 Big West Players of the Weekhonorees.
Moore finished her career with a bang, not only becoming thefirst Big West Conference Player of the Year under Zimmerman, buthanding the program its first such player while tying the schoolrecord in kills and breaking the school record in block assists.Moore was a three-time first teamer under Zimmerman's tutelage, wonfive Big West Player of the Week awards, and was the first Titan topick up more than two such honors. Moore went on to also become theTitans' first AVCA All-American honorable mention and All-WestRegion selection, and has also graced USA Volleyball rosters in2009 and 2010.
Neto became the most recognized freshman in school history underZimmerman's guidance. The outside hitter became the school's first two-time All-American Honorable Mention selection (2009& 2012), as well as the program’s first two-time AVCAWest Region Honorable Mention pick (2009 & 2012). Netowas the AVCA's West Region Freshman of the Year, a Big West firstteamer and conference freshman of the year. She completed hercareer as one of only two players to compete in every set duringfour seasons on the court, and one of just eight student-athletesin Big West Conference history to earn league first team accoladesfor four straight years. Neto also set Titan records for careerkills (1,628) and points (1,918.5) and went on to playprofessionally in Europe.
Saddler finished her four-year career with the most careerplayer of the week honors, winning six of them over her last threeseasons, including a school record four in 2010. She was afour-time All-Big West honoree, earning first-team honors in eachof her last two years and brought home the school's second playerof the year award as a senior. Saddler was also honored by the AVCAas an All-American honorable mention and an All-West Region outsidehitter. She finished second all-time in Fullerton history in kills,fourth in attack percentage, sixth in total blocks and first inpoints.
Zimmerman has also coached other Titan record breakers in CamiCroteau (2007-10, all-time digs leader and three-timeall-conference first team selection), Lauren Goins (2001-04,three-time all-conference selection and only person in 1000-kill,1000-dig club), and Julie Geissert (2004-07, all-time assistsleader). Goins, a four-year Titan hitter, went on to playprofessionally in Europe.
Zimmerman's 2010 Titans broke another school record whenSaddler, Neto, Croteau and Torrie Brown were all named to theAll-Big West first team, marking the first time four Titans weregiven such honor in the same season. It trumped the 2009 squad thatsaw Saddler, Croteau and Neto set a record with three first teamersin a season.
In 2008, Cal State Fullerton volleyball's recruiting class wasrecognized with an honorable mention nod in PrepVolleyball.com'sTop Recruiting classes of 2008. It was the first time in theprogram's history that the school had been recognized for itsrecruiting class. Zimmerman's Titans joined traditional Big WestConference volleyball powerhouses, Long Beach State (No. 10), CalPoly (No. 21) and UC Santa Barbara (honorable mention) on thelist.
In 13 seasons, Zimmerman's teams have posted 11 pre-seasontournament championships, (two in 2004, one in 2005, aschool-record three in 2006, one in 2007 and 2009, two in 2010, andone in 2013) and 13 second-place finishes en route to a 90-61non-conference record since 2004.
Zimmerman was no stranger to the Titan program prior toinheriting the team, having served as the top assistant to formerhead coach Mary Ellen Murchison for seven seasons (1995-2001). WhenMurchison retired prior to the 2002 season, Zimmerman was namedinterim head coach for that season and was then hired on apermanent basis in 2003.
Prior to joining the staff at Fullerton, Zimmerman was anassistant at Cal State Northridge in 1994, when the Matadors posteda 23-8 record and captured the NIVC title in post-season play. In1995, she guided her South Bay 17-U volleyball club team to afourth-place finish at the prestigious Nike Volleyball Festival.She was also a varsity assistant and junior varsity head coach atperennial prep powerhouse Mira Costa High School in ManhattanBeach.
Zimmerman is a 1992 graduate of Pepperdine, where she was thesetter/right-side hitter for four West Coast Conferencechampionship squads. A four-year letter-winner and the Waves'captain for a season, Zimmerman earned first-team All-WCC honorsthree times and was named the conference's Player of the Year and aVolleyball Monthly honorable mention All-American in 1991. She wasalso a member of the gold-medal winning south team at the OlympicFestival in Los Angeles in 1990.
Zimmerman wrapped up her Pepperdine career as the Waves' thenall-time leader in digs with 1,371 (presently third) and stoodthird in block assists, fourth in total blocks and service aces,and eighth in kills and total attacks. She also set a Pepperdinesingle-season record with 383 digs in 1990.
Zimmerman is a 1988 graduate of West Torrance High School, whereshe was a three-sport star. In addition to earning Bay Leaguevolleyball MVP honors as a senior, she was an All-American insoccer and CIF champion, and state qualifier in track and field.She was named West Torrance's Athlete of the Year in 1987 and 1988.She was be inducted into West Torrance High School's athletic Hallof Fame in June of 2010.
Zimmerman resides in Redondo Beach with her husband, Joe, sonsJimmy, Danny and Robert, and daughter Kira.
