SAN ANTONIO — St. Mary's University Head Volleyball Coach
Dave Ulrich announced the addition of two former collegiate standouts to his staff for the 2025 season on Monday.
Former Rattlers' setter
Cali Nims (B.A. '25) will be the assistant coach, while
Elle Truckenbrod, a 2025 graduate of Wisconsin-Parkside, will serve as the graduate assistant coach.
"I really think this staff we've put together will make the coaching transition as smooth as possible," said Ulrich. "The volleyball systems stay exactly the same with me, Cali already has a deep understanding of our playbook and culture, Elle has taken incredible initiative since day one, and the team came out of the gate totally bought in. With Cali's experience at setter, Elle's at pin and libero, and mine in the middle, we have our bases covered positionally for training. This program is ready to compete in the Lone Star Conference this fall."
Nims played at St. Mary's from 2021-24, ending her career ranked fifth in career history with 2,695 assists, eighth with a .959 service percentage, ninth with 113 service aces and 17th with 998 digs. She also ranks third with 45 career double-doubles, reaching double digits in assists and digs in the same match, and she is one of only four setters to ever have 40 or more assists and 20 or more digs in a single match, doing so at Texas Woman's on Oct. 18, 2024, with 42 assists and 20 digs. She was a two-time CSC Academic All-District, an eight-time selection to the Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll, and was a Second-Team All-Lone Star pick as a senior.
"Cali is one of the most talented and intelligent players I've ever coached," said Ulrich. "She ran our offense at an elite level for four years, was an incredible server and defender, and the leadership and calming presence she brought to our group was unmatched. We knew she'd be a slam dunk addition, and seeing our athletes' reactions when we told them we hired her only solidifies that choice in my mind."
Truckenbrod recorded at least 200 digs in each of her final three seasons at Parkside. She also finished second on the team in kills and aces in 2024 as a senior. She was a defensive specialist/libero in her first two years, moving to outside hitter for 2023, where she finished third on the team with 242 kills, including 13 matches with 10 or more. That season, she ranked second in the GLIAC with 0.46 aces per set. She ended her career with 472 kills, 119 aces, 825 digs and 618 points.
"Elle was an easy pick for us because she highlighted marketing and team operations as areas she wanted to focus her attention on, and it was a perfect fit with where we wanted additional support for our program," Ulrich stated. "Add to that her success as a pin hitter and libero in the competitive GLIAC and she really rounds out our staff in the perfect way."
The Rattlers kick off the 2025 season — the momentous 50th in St. Mary's history — in Hawai'i at the Hawai'i Challenge on Thursday against UCCS.
