BERKELEY - California volleyball head coach Jen Malcom has completed her 2024 staff, announcing that Cole Murray and Alyssa Andreno will join Andrew Sato as assistant coaches for the Golden Bears.
 
"I am thrilled to announce the addition of Cole and Alyssa to our staff here at Cal," Malcom said. "Both are up-and-coming coaches in the profession and have made a name for themselves in a short period of time in the coaching world. They each have strong connections with the East Coast that will be a huge asset to our recruiting efforts as we move to the ACC."
 
Murray was an assistant coach at Campbell for the 2023 season, helping lead the Fighting Camels to the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) semifinals after the team finished third in the regular season. The year prior, he acted as volunteer assistant coach at Pepperdine, helping the Waves to an at-large NCAA bid. In total, Murray has aided in the development of nine all-conference honorees (three at Campbell, six at Pepperdine), including the 2022 WCC Freshman of the Year. Before his foray into collegiate coaching, he also coached girls volleyball at Saddleback Volleyball Club, girls volleyball at Northwood High School and boys volleyball at Orange Coast Volleyball Club.
 
Murray started his collegiate career at Irvine Valley College (2014-15), helping lead the Lasers to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State semifinals and earning both All-Tournament and Second-Team All-Pacific Coast Conference nods as a rookie. In his second year, he led the team in kills, kills per set and service aces on the way to First-Team All-PCC recognition; Murray then transferred to Loyola Chicago, making the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) semifinals in each of his final two years with the Ramblers.
 
"Cole has a steadiness to him that will fit our staff and team very well," Malcom said. "His knowledge of the game and eagerness to implement new ideas will be valuable to our program moving forward."
 
Andreno, a former professional middle blocker for SCU Emlichheim, arrives at Cal from Winthrop, where she was an assistant coach for the past two seasons. During her tenure at Winthrop, she saw the Eagles earn a combined 12 All-Big-South honors, including the 2022 Big South Freshman of the Year. In her first year, Andreno helped oversee the improvement of an Eagles defense that held opponents to just .175 hitting, leading to a third-place finish in the Big South and a semifinals appearance in the conference tournament. Winthrop appeared in the NIVC Tournament the next year after a Big South title match appearance and a second-place regular-season finish. Prior to joining the staff at Winthrop, Andreno lent her coaching experience to K2 Volleyball Club and Knoxville Catholic High School, helping the latter reach the State title match in 2020.
 
As a four-year player at Tennessee (2016-19), Andreno was part of a Tennessee team that had the biggest single-season turnaround in program history, finishing second in the SEC on the way to the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. She was among the team's top-five blockers each year, leading the Lady Vols as a senior while also posting team top-five totals in kills and service aces. After her final season, Andreno was recognized as a nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. She earned a slew of high-level academic and community service honors throughout her collegiate career, graduating from Tennessee with a degree in recreation and sport management as well as a minor in business. She earned a master's degree in business administration with distinction from the University of East London, at which she also competed on the volleyball team.
 
"Alyssa's work ethic and drive have always stood out to me ever since I recruited her as a player," Malcom said. "I knew she was the one for the job when the opportunity arose for me to hire her. She will be a great role model for our players, and I am very excited for her to get our team out in the community."

STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal volleyball, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalVolleyball), Instagram (@calvolleyball), Facebook (Cal Volleyball) and TikTok (@calbearsvb).