BERKELEY – A new season will mean a new look on the sidelines for the California volleyball team in 2023.

Head coach Sam Crosson announced Monday the addition of two new assistant coaches, bringing Savannah Rennie and Crissy Jones Schoonderwoerd on board.

"I am very excited about the additions of Crissy Schoonderwoerd and Savannah Rennie to our volleyball staff," Crosson said. "Their experiences as both players and coaches will have a remarkable influence on our group, and their commitment to the growth and development of our student-athletes is what makes each of them tremendous additions to our staff". 

Rennie, a fan favorite as a player at Cal, returns to Berkeley following a 2022 stint as a volunteer assistant with USC, which reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Rennie rose to prominence as a student-athlete at Cal as she battled congenital hepatic fibrosis with portal hypertension, an ailment that required her to undergo a liver transplant in 2016. The following year, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin post-transplant lymphoma. Rennie finally recovered for her senior season in 2019, and was playing at a high level before tearing her ACL; she was granted a medical hardship waiver by the NCAA which allowed her to play for two more years at Marquette while she pursued her graduate degree. As a Golden Eagle, she earned All-East Region recognition, two All-Big East Conference honors and four all-tournament team nods.

 "My head coach at Cal, Rich Feller, told me that I would coach here one day," Rennie said, "so for that to become reality is pretty special. I cannot wait to provide our current and future student-athletes with an athletic and academic career that they all deserve."

"It is an honor to welcome Savannah back to the Cal volleyball program," Crosson said. "Over the past several years as a player at Cal and Marquette, as well as coaching this past season at USC, Savannah has gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and insight into the future direction of collegiate coaching. Her passion, determination for greatness and love for Cal are just a few of the reasons why Savannah is going to be a great fit for our program's future and a great recruiting coordinator.

"Her life experiences, both on and off the court, have shaped her into the incredible person that she is today," Crosson added, "and she has the motivation, competitive drive and communication skills to connect with our student-athletes to help shape their future experiences within our program."

Schoonderwoerd comes to Cal with a strong collegiate and professional résumé as a player. A native of Long Beach, Schoonderwoerd played volleyball for four years at Washington, earning an AVCA All-American nod as well as three All-Pac-12 honors while also appearing in two Elite Eights. She was later named an All-American while playing beach volleyball at Cal Poly as a graduate student, leading the team to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and making her just the second player in NCAA history to earn All-American distinction in both indoor and beach volleyball. Post-graduation, she played for three years on the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) beach volleyball tour, earning a Rookie of the Year nomination in 2019, while also playing on Team USA in the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) world beach volleyball tour.

"I am so grateful for the opportunity to coach at Cal," Schoonderwoerd said. "As a former All-American in the Pac-12, I know firsthand what it takes to be successful. I plan to help create a competitive and positive culture, and look forward to the growth of the team as well as my own personal growth as a coach."

"Crissy is an amazing person who has the drive and determination to be a very successful coach," Crosson said. "She played for some of the best coaches in the country during her club and collegiate careers, and has an intellectual ability to connect, provide leadership and communicate effectively, which all make her a tremendous asset to our program. Her knowledge of the game, understanding and belief of training methodologies and her consistent energy around others will have a direct impact on the daily lives of the student-athletes in our program, as well as helping to create our culture for the future." 

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