Arica Nassar Promoted to Assistant Coach
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Former Oregon State volleyball star Arica Nassar has been promoted to assistant coach, OSU head coach Mark Barnard announced Thursday.
Nassar brings familiarity of the program as she slides into the position after working the past two years as a graduate student assistant for the Beavers.
"Two years ago I was able to say I was excited to come back to Corvallis in a different role," Nassar said. "Now I am blessed to say I'm taking on yet another role, one I've always dreamt of being in. I've gone from being one of Mark's athletes to being one of his colleagues. I've learned a lot these past two years and feel like I've learned a lot about what it takes to become a great coach. It isn't just about coaching, there is so much more than that."
"This program is like home and a lot of my volleyball knowledge has come from my years of being at Oregon State. I want to help change this program and I plan to. I'm ready to take on my new coaching role and I can't wait to see what the future holds for Oregon State Volleyball. Go Beavs!
"I am extremely excited to welcome Arica into the assistant coach role," Barnard said. "She brings a level of energy that will ignite the recruits and players on this team. Being a former Beaver with one of our most successful teams in NCAA History along with a professional career in Europe make her the perfect choice for this position. She is an outstanding communicator and has a passion to be a great coach and I have no doubt that she will achieve that. Her recency of experience will enable her to relate both to recruits and our current student-athletes"
This isn't Nassar's first foray into coaching having also worked as a volunteer assistant at UCLA during the 2017 season in addition to her on-the-job training as a graduate assistant the last two years.
One of just two players in OSU history with 1,000 career kills (1,033) and 500 blocks (540), Nassar ranks third all-time in blocks, 13th in points (1,380), and 15th in kills. She led the Beavers in blocks per set all four seasons.
She played in every match during her four years with the Beavers and helped lead her squad to the best season in program history as a senior in 2014. Oregon State posted 21 wins, the third-most in program history, including the Beavers' first two NCAA postseason victories and a trip to the Regional Semifinals.
Nassar played professionally in Finland (WomanVolley, 2015-16) and Sweden (Engelholm, 2016-17), helping Engelholm to League and Gran Prix Championships.
She earned a degree in chemistry in 2015 and was a three-time Pac-12 Academic Honorable Mention selection, and finished her Master's in Interdisciplinary Studies at OSU this week.
Oregon State volleyball fans are encouraged to join Off the Bench, the program's new donor club. Click here for more information or call Nixon Hettinger in Our Beaver Nation at 541-737-6136.
For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverVBall, by Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverVBall or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverVBall.
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