Assistant Coach, North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND
NCAA Division I
Kari Thompson just competed her fourth season as an assistant women's volleyball coach at North Dakota State University. In 2009, the Bison turned in another successful season, going 23-4 and earning the Summit League's regular-season championship with an 18-0 record for the second consecutive year.
Prior to her time at NDSU, Thompson spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Alabama, where Bison head coach Erich Hinterstocker was an assistant coach. Thompson was a three-year volleyball letterwinner at Wisconsin-Green Bay and then spent one year with the Phoenix as a volunteer assistant coach before working at Alabama.
"After finishing my collegiate career, I was not ready to give up volleyball as being a huge part of my life," Thompson said. "I thought I would give the graduate assistant position a try and see if I liked it. One of the other factors that influenced my decision to become a coach was that I really enjoyed my collegiate experience and learned a lot through it. I have talked to other players who have not had a good experience playing, and as long as I can help a program be successful and the players are enjoying experiences, then I will continue coaching."
