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Olympic Medalist and All-American Karsta Lowe Joins USC Women's Volleyball Staff
October 21, 2020 | Women's Volleyball
Lowe helped Team USA capture bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and will join the Trojans in a volunteer capacity
LOS ANGELES – Olympic medalist and All-American opposite hitter Karsta Lowe will join the USC women's volleyball staff as its volunteer assistant coach, first-year head coach Brad Keller announced on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
"We are thrilled to welcome Karsta Lowe as our volunteer coach," said Keller. "Karsta is an impressive person with great energy and embodies what it means to be a professional. Her experiences at both the collegiate and international level will be extremely valuable to our team. I am looking forward to watching our players grow as they learn from her in the future."
Lowe is a six-year member of the U.S. Women's National Team and helped Team USA claim bronze medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In other major international competition, Lowe owns gold medals from the 2019 Pan American Cup, the 2016 NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament, the 2015 FIVB World Grand Prix, and the 2015 NORCECA Championship.
She was also a member of the U.S. squad that took fifth place at the 2018 FIVB World Championship. As a newcomer to international competition, Lowe received MVP honors at her first FIVB World Grand Prix tourney in 2015.
Professionally, Lowe began her career in Puerto Rico with Changas de Naranjito and has also played in China for the Beijing BAIC Motors club, and in Italy with both Imoco Volley Conegliano and Busto Arsizio.
As a collegian at UCLA, Lowe was named to the AVCA All-America first team in 2014 following a senior season in which she led the nation in kills (5.96 kps) and points (6.60 pps). She was a two-time AVCA All-Pacific South Region choice and a two-time Pac-12 All-Conference selection. Lowe also received honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic status three times.
Lowe prepped at La Costa Canyon High School, which also produced USC All-Americans Katie Fuller (2009-12), Natalie Hagglund (2010-13), and Brittany Abercrombie (2014-17). Current Trojan libero Sophia Theriot is also a graduate of LCCHS. Lowe graduated from UCLA with a degree in geography and environmental studies in 2015. She was born in San Diego and lists Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., as her hometown.
Keller has also hired a new technical coordinator. Virginia Pham will serve as the technical coordinator for both the USC men's and women's volleyball programs. Pham previously served two seasons (2018-19) as the director of operations at Penn State. While there, Pham was also the program's technical and video coordinator as the Nittany Lions amassed a 53-14 record and made two trips to the NCAA regional championship match.
"We are excited to have Virginia for both of the USC volleyball programs," said Keller. "I have personally known Virginia for a long time and am impressed with her growth as a professional. She comes to our team with a great deal of experience in multiple areas; and her relentless passion, drive, and work ethic will have an immediate impact in our program."
Prior to Penn State, Pham was the director of operations at Oklahoma, where she managed budget and team travel; and served in roles as the Sooners' technical and video coordinator. In 2015, Pham was the graduate assistant at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) and served as the director of operations. She earned her Master of Education in sports leadership from VCU in 2016 and holds a position as the technical coordinator for the U.S. Sitting Volleyball national team. Pham received a Bachelor of Science in computer science from UCLA in 2015 and was a student assistant for the Bruins' men's, women's, and beach volleyball teams.
Last season, USC faced one of the nation's toughest schedules and finished the with an 18-14 overall record despite myriad injuries and changes to the Trojans' lineup. The Women of Troy went 11-9 in the Pac-12 and landed in sixth place. USC received an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament and made its 37th all-time appearance in the tourney (29th consecutive) where the Trojans advanced to the second round before falling to top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Baylor. Outside hitter Khalia Lanier was honored as an AVCA second-team All-American.
For more information on the USC women's volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
"We are thrilled to welcome Karsta Lowe as our volunteer coach," said Keller. "Karsta is an impressive person with great energy and embodies what it means to be a professional. Her experiences at both the collegiate and international level will be extremely valuable to our team. I am looking forward to watching our players grow as they learn from her in the future."
Lowe is a six-year member of the U.S. Women's National Team and helped Team USA claim bronze medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In other major international competition, Lowe owns gold medals from the 2019 Pan American Cup, the 2016 NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament, the 2015 FIVB World Grand Prix, and the 2015 NORCECA Championship.
She was also a member of the U.S. squad that took fifth place at the 2018 FIVB World Championship. As a newcomer to international competition, Lowe received MVP honors at her first FIVB World Grand Prix tourney in 2015.
Professionally, Lowe began her career in Puerto Rico with Changas de Naranjito and has also played in China for the Beijing BAIC Motors club, and in Italy with both Imoco Volley Conegliano and Busto Arsizio.
As a collegian at UCLA, Lowe was named to the AVCA All-America first team in 2014 following a senior season in which she led the nation in kills (5.96 kps) and points (6.60 pps). She was a two-time AVCA All-Pacific South Region choice and a two-time Pac-12 All-Conference selection. Lowe also received honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic status three times.
Lowe prepped at La Costa Canyon High School, which also produced USC All-Americans Katie Fuller (2009-12), Natalie Hagglund (2010-13), and Brittany Abercrombie (2014-17). Current Trojan libero Sophia Theriot is also a graduate of LCCHS. Lowe graduated from UCLA with a degree in geography and environmental studies in 2015. She was born in San Diego and lists Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., as her hometown.
Keller has also hired a new technical coordinator. Virginia Pham will serve as the technical coordinator for both the USC men's and women's volleyball programs. Pham previously served two seasons (2018-19) as the director of operations at Penn State. While there, Pham was also the program's technical and video coordinator as the Nittany Lions amassed a 53-14 record and made two trips to the NCAA regional championship match.
"We are excited to have Virginia for both of the USC volleyball programs," said Keller. "I have personally known Virginia for a long time and am impressed with her growth as a professional. She comes to our team with a great deal of experience in multiple areas; and her relentless passion, drive, and work ethic will have an immediate impact in our program."
Prior to Penn State, Pham was the director of operations at Oklahoma, where she managed budget and team travel; and served in roles as the Sooners' technical and video coordinator. In 2015, Pham was the graduate assistant at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) and served as the director of operations. She earned her Master of Education in sports leadership from VCU in 2016 and holds a position as the technical coordinator for the U.S. Sitting Volleyball national team. Pham received a Bachelor of Science in computer science from UCLA in 2015 and was a student assistant for the Bruins' men's, women's, and beach volleyball teams.
Last season, USC faced one of the nation's toughest schedules and finished the with an 18-14 overall record despite myriad injuries and changes to the Trojans' lineup. The Women of Troy went 11-9 in the Pac-12 and landed in sixth place. USC received an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament and made its 37th all-time appearance in the tourney (29th consecutive) where the Trojans advanced to the second round before falling to top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Baylor. Outside hitter Khalia Lanier was honored as an AVCA second-team All-American.
For more information on the USC women's volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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