Alija Pittenger, a veteran NCAA Division I head coach with two NCAA Tournament appearances on her resume, was named Loyola University Maryland's head volleyball coach on Jan. 26, 2015.
Pittenger is no stranger to the Reitz Arena sidelines as she was the head coach at Fairfield University, Loyola's former Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe, from 2008-2013. She was a two-time MAAC Coach of the Year (2011 and 2012) and directed the Stags to the NCAA Tournament in her final two seasons at the Connecticut school.
Pittenger departed Fairfield as the Stags' all-time winningest coach with a 113-77 overall record and an 87-18 mark in MAAC play. Her leadership helped the program win four MAAC Regular-Season Championships (2008, 2009, 2012 and 2013), as well as the 2012 and 2013 MAAC Championships titles.
She coached 17 All-MAAC selections, a student-athlete who won three MAAC Setter of the Year awards and two MAAC Rookies of the Year. Her teams were as strong in the classroom as on the court, garnering 26 MAAC All-Academic nods and four Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District selections.
Most recently, Pittenger was an assistant coach locally at Towson University where she assisted 2014 Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year Don Metil and the Tigers to a 27-5 record, a huge improvement from Towson's 2013 squad that finished 10-24. Through her work with the team's setters, Towson led the CAA in assists per game and team hitting percentage. One of the team's setters earned CAA All-Rookie honors, as well.
Prior to accepting the head coaching position at Fairfield, Pittenger was an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh from 2003-2007. The Panthers were twice selected to the NCAA Tournament during her tenure in Western Pennsylvania, and they captured the 2003 BIG EAST Conference Regular-Season and Tournament titles.
She started her coaching career as an assistant at the University of Southern Indiana in 2002, helping the Screaming Eagles reach the NCAA Division II Championships Second Round.
Pittenger received her bachelor of science in movement science with a concentration in motor control from the University of Michigan in December 2001. She was a four-year letterwinner for the Wolverines and helped the program attain its first-ever Top 25 ranking in 2000. She was a member of three NCAA Tournament teams at Michigan and was second on the team in both digs and kills as a senior.
