Volleyball Michael Abdella, St. Olaf Assistant AD for Strategic Communications

Emma Nelson named St. Olaf head volleyball coach

NORTHFIELD, Minn. - St. Olaf College Athletic Director Kelly Mahlum announced the hiring of Emma Nelson as the 12th head coach of the St. Olaf volleyball program on Friday morning.
 
A former two-sport athlete in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), Nelson comes to St. Olaf after three seasons as the lead assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. In her playing days, Nelson was a volleyball and basketball student-athlete at St. Catherine University. Her first day at St. Olaf will be May 4.
 
"I am excited to announce Emma Nelson as the new head coach of our volleyball program," Mahlum said. "Emma brings a broad range of experience that will support the continued growth of the program. She embraces the values of Ole Athletics and demonstrates a strong commitment to both academic and athletic excellence. I am confident she will have a lasting impact on our student-athletes."
 
"I am truly honored and energized to be the next head volleyball coach at St. Olaf," Nelson said. "What drew me here goes far beyond the game itself - it is the commitment to academic excellence, integrity, and developing the whole person. There is a genuine sense of purpose on this campus, where athletics are woven into a broader mission of preparing students to lead lives of impact and meaning."
 
After being hired as a full-time assistant coach in May of 2023, Nelson helped Augustana to 38 wins, including 25 in the highly-competitive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), over the last three seasons. With the Vikings, she was involved with practice design, opponent scouting, and player development, while also directing the program's recruiting efforts. Nelson also led positional training for defense, serve receive, and blocking, coordinated team travel logistics, and organized summer volleyball camps, and hosted club tournaments.
 
"I am excited to build on the proud tradition of this program while fostering an environment where our student-athletes grow as teammates, leaders, and individuals of character," Nelson added. "It is a privilege to be part of a community that challenges and supports one another in pursuit of excellence, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to that mission."
 
Prior to her time at Augustana, Nelson spent one year working in the MIAC office as the assistant director. In that role, she supported conference initiatives related to competition oversight, sportsmanship, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programming, directed the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) initiatives, and organized educational events focused on student-athlete mental health, career development, and leadership.
 
Nelson holds a bachelor of arts in psychology from St. Catherine University and a master of arts in sport administration and leadership from Augustana University. She was a team captain in both volleyball and basketball as a student-athlete at St. Kate's. Nelson is also a member of Women Leaders in Sports and WeCOACH.