After serving as a graduate assistant for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, ShaLi Niu returns to the sidelines as an interim assistant coach in 2026. Niu earned her master's degree from St. Mary's in May, 2025.

She has coached with the Loudoun Elite Volleyball Club (Va.) and Kahuku High School (Hawaii) and was a member of both the George Mason (2017-2019) and SUNY Albany (2020-2021) Volleyball teams. In 2018 she was named the VaSID (Virginia Sports Information Directors) Rookie of the Year and was a seven-time Dean's List honoree throughout her career.