Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Women's Volleyball
- Title:
- Assistant Volleyball Coach
- Email:
- Stephanie.Zielinski@mtsu.edu
- Phone:
- (615) 904-8346
Stephanie Zielinski joined the Middle Tennessee volleyball coaching staff as an assistant coach in January 2017.
Zielinski comes to Murfreesboro after serving as an assistant coach at Davidson for the 2016 season, where she help lead the Wildcats to their first Atlantic 10 Conference tournament appearance since joining the league in 2014.
Prior to Davidson, Zielinski spent the 2015 season as a volunteer assistant coach at Wake Forest. With the Demon Deacons, Zielinski, a defensively minded coach, was responsible for developing and executing defensive scouting reports, while also working closely with setters and servers.
Zielinski was a four-year starter at Rutgers from 2009-12. She finished her career with 4,255 assists and posted 1,342 assists as a senior during the 2012 season, both figures place her second all-time in Rutgers' program history. Zielinski also ended her career with 1,129 digs, fifth all-time at Rutgers, and with a mark of 11.28 assists per set, good for second all-time in Big East history.
In all four of her collegiate seasons, Zielinski led the Scarlet Knights in assists. As a junior, she led the team with 34 service aces and was second on the team in total blocks with 70. That followed a sophomore campaign in which she also led the team in digs with 272.
In January 2013, she was named RU's New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NJAIAW) Woman of the Year. During her career at Rutgers, she was a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC) and was named to the Executive Committee in spring 2012.
Following her career at Rutgers, Zielinski signed with Volley Toggenburg in Wattwil, Switzerland. As the starting setter for the team, she was named the best player of the match in eight matches during the 2013-14 season. While with Volley Toggenburg, Zielinski worked with beginner volleyball players from ages 8-15 on specific skills, organized and executed practices and coached the U-11 team in weekend tournaments. All of her coaching was done while speaking German.
Zielinski also served as a club coach from 2010-12 for Atlantic Valley Volleyball (AVVC), while helping numerous camps in her hometown of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and in New York.
Zielinski graduated in May 2013 with a degree in psychology and a minor in linguistics.
Zielinski’s sister, Mackenzie, is currently a setter with the Miami (OH) RedHawks. Her father, Ron, played basketball at Ithaca College, and mother, Lisa, played tennis also at Ithaca.
Lisa currently serves as the head volleyball coach at St. Thomas Aquinas, where the Raiders captured their third-straight state championship (fall of 2014-16).
