STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford women’s volleyball associate head coach Denise Corlett has been named head coach of the Stanford beach volleyball team for the 2016 season.
A former national team player, Corlett has spent 27 years on The Farm as an interim head coach, associate head coach and assistant coach. In 2015-16, she began her 20th season as associate head coach of the Stanford Women’s Volleyball team. Growing up in Manhattan Beach, Denise spent many summers playing on the beach before moving to Northern California. She has been the assistant coach for the Beach team for the past three seasons.
“I am excited for the opportunity to continue with the development of the Stanford beach program,” she said. “Our team has made progress in the past three seasons and we look to continue the growth of our program this upcoming year.”
The Cardinal indoor squad holds a 754-130 (.853) record during her association with the program, having won six NCAA Championships and 16 Pac-12 Championships (formerly Pac-10). Corlett has coached in 11 national championships matches and has helped the Cardinal reach 13 Final Fours while guiding 29 players to 70 AVCA All-America awards.
Joining Corlett on Stanford’s beach volleyball staff is former Cardinal setter Karissa Cook. At Stanford, Cook was a four-year letterwinner from 2009-12, helping the program capture conference titles in three of her four seasons. She was an All-Pac-12 Conference honorable selection in 2011 and was awarded All-Pac-10 Freshman Team accolades in 2009. She also earned conference all-academic honors for three straight seasons.
“I’m incredibly excited to rejoin Stanford athletics in a new capacity,” she said. “Growing up in the Santa Cruz beach volleyball scene, this sport has been a passion of mine since adolescence. I’m looking forward to passing on some of my knowledge of the beach game to this amazing group of athletes and seeing what we are capable of.”
Cook played for the University of Hawaii beach volleyball team in 2014 as a graduate student. In her only season with Hawaii, Cook had a team-best 42-7 record, playing every match at the No. 1 position. With partner Brittany Tiegs, Cook finished runner-up at the AVCA Pairs National Championship.
“Karissa has already made such an important impact to the program; she ran all of the fall practices with our beach-specific players and they have a deep respect for her,” said Corlett. "Her knowledge of the beach game is tremendous and her demeanor as a coach has been fun to watch. I am very excited to have her in the program.”
2016 marks the first season in which the NCAA will hold a national championship for beach volleyball, making it the 90th such championship in NCAA history. The inaugural NCAA beach volleyball championship will take place in Gulf Shores, Alabama, May 6-8.
“It is great for the sport of beach volleyball,” said Corlett. “It is one of the most popular events in the Olympics and I see this sport becoming one of the most popular sports in the NCAA.”
“Seeing beach volleyball being picked up by the NCAA so quickly is invigorating to all of us who’ve been looking forward to this becoming a championship sport,” added Cook. “The timing is right to establish and develop a successful program for our student athletes. And as long as there are championships, you can count on Stanford being a competitor.”
John Dunning will serve as Stanford’s Director of Women’s Volleyball while Corlett takes charge of the beach program. Dunning’s 15 years on The Farm have been greatly successful, helping establish Stanford as one of the premier volleyball programs in the nation.
Sara Dukes-Johnson also remains with the Cardinal as a volunteer assistant, a position she has held since the 2013 season. Dukes-Johnson, a member of the 2001 National Championship team, played indoor for Stanford from 2000-03. She graduated in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in sociology. She competed professionally on the AVP tour from 2006-10.
Stanford opens its season Mar. 5 when it hosts San Jose State, Sacramento State, Pacific, Washington and San Francisco in a tournament style format.
