Kristin Belzung completed her eighth season as head coach of the Stony Brook volleyball program in 2024.
In eight years on Long Island, Belzung has transformed the Seawolves into a winning program, capturing back-to-back America East championships in 2017 and 2018.
This past season, Stony Brook volleyball went 16-13 overall and 9-9 in league action earning the No. 6 seed in the CAA Championship Tournament, ultimately falling in the First Round to third-seeded host, Towson. Under Belzung, four Seawolves were named All-CAA selections:
Kali Moore (First Team),
Leoni Kunz and
Torri Henry (Second Team), and
Quinn Anderson (All-Rookie Team). With standout performances on the court and in the classroom,
Julia Patsos, Kunz, and Moore were selected to the 2024-25 College Sports Communicators’ Academic All-District Team. Aside from individual player accolades, Belzung earned her 100
th career win in a five-set thriller over Colgate early in the season during non-conference play.
In 2023, Belzung led the Seawolves in their second season in the CAA to a 17-14 (11-7 CAA) record, finishing with their most overall wins since 2018 when they finished with 21 and increase their CAA win total by six games. The Seawolves won their last six games in CAA play to clinch the No. 5 seed in the CAA Tournament where they won their first-ever CAA Tournament game over Charleston in the Quarterfinal Round before falling to No. 1 Towson in the Semifinal Round. Also, the Seawolves won their first game against Hofstra since 1999 and swept the Pride in the regular-season finale.
The Seawolves had numerous players be honored for their performances during the historic 2023 season. Senior
Torri Henry was tabbed as the CAA Setter of the Year and captured First Team honors after leading the CAA in assists and assists per set, becoming the first student-athlete to earn the award. Fellow senior
Leoni Kunz was recognized on the Second Team after finishing with a career-high in kills. Freshman
Ava Jackson was named to the All-Rookie team after her standout freshman campaign.
Belzung guided the Seawolves in their first year in the CAA by leading the squad to a 10-16 (5-11 CAA) record that clinched the No. 8 seed in the CAA Tournament for Stony Brook. The Seawolves battled against No. 1 Towson in the opening round and took a set but ultimately fell, 3-1. Belzung helped
Kali Moore become the first student-athlete in program history to claim a CAA major award as she was tabbed the league's Rookie of the Year and was selected to the All-CAA Second Team and CAA All-Rookie Team as a result of her standout play in her first season on Long Island. Also,
Julia Kim,
Julia Patsos,
Torri Henry, and
Leoni Kunz were recognized for their success in the classroom by being selected to the 2022-23 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
In the final season for the Seawolves in the America East, Belzung pushed the team to a 13-14 (7-5 AE) record to secure No. 4 seed in the America East Tournament. The squad battled tough against UMBC but fell, 3-2, in the five-set classic.
Sabrina Patriciello was named an America East Presidential Scholar-Athlete, while outside hitter
Amiyah De'Long was tabbed to the All-Conference First Team and middle blocker
Abby Campbell and middle blocker
Enitan Omolewa both claimed Second Team honors.
Stony Brook went 7-8 (7-5 AE) during the COVID-19 shortened season.
Abby Campbell was named first-team All-America East and joined classmate
Torri Henry on the league's All-Rookie Team.
Kiani Kerstetter capped off her Seawolves career by earning second-team All-America East honors.
In 2019, Stony Brook made its third-straight appearance in the America East tournament, led by two-time America East Setter of the Year
LeAnne Sakowicz and Defensive Specialist of the Year
Kiani Kerstetter.
In her second season, Belzung led the 21-9 Seawolves to their second NCAA tournament appearance after capturing their second-straight America East Tournament Championship with a sweep against Hartford in the semifinal and a five-set win against Albany in the championship. Belzung and her assistant coaches were named the America East Staff of the Year, guiding the Seawolves to an undefeated conference mark (12-0) en route to their first America East regular season title since 2007.
In her first season at the helm of the program, Belzung and Stony Brook defied the odds as the No. 4 seed in the America East Championship, securing its first conference title and NCAA tournament bid in program history following sweeps against the top two teams in the conference.
In the classroom, Belzung has guided the Seawolves to six consecutive USMC-AVCA Team Academic Awards.
Before arriving at Stony Brook, Belzung spent four seasons with the Wyoming volleyball program, serving as the associate head coach in her final season. During her time with the Cowgirls, Belzung helped the squad average just over 21 wins per season under head coach Chad Callihan.
Prior to her time at Wyoming, Belzung spent three seasons at South Dakota State as an assistant coach. Prior to that, she spent two years at South Carolina, where she spent her first season as a graduate assistant and the second as the director of operations for the Gamecocks’ volleyball program.
Before starting her coaching career, Belzung was a four-year standout setter at Northern Iowa while playing for Bobbi Peterson. A two-time first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, she ranks fourth in UNI history with 4,256 assists and with an 11.3 assists per game average. Belzung helped the team to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2006 and 2007 and earned the State Farm MVC Tournament MVP in her squad's first of two straight conference tourney crowns.
A native of Ankeny, Iowa, Belzung starred in the classroom as well, earning the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award, an honor that recognizes athletes for their excellence in academics, sportsmanship and community service. She also garnered Dean's List recognition in six of her nine semesters at UNI and twice earned a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete first team. Belzung served as a SAAC representative and participated in the NCAA National Leadership Conference.
Belzung, an inductee of the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union Volleyball Hall of Fame, graduated with a bachelor's degree in health promotion/environmental health from Northern Iowa in 2008, and completed her master's degree in sport and entertainment management from South Carolina in the spring of 2010.
