The Wildcats’ volleyball coach has been named one of the best Black coaches in America. Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup has received a spot on the 2024-2025 Volleyball Head Coaches Watch List by the Advancement of Blacks in Sports (ABIS).

Moronu Alstrup has been with the Wildcats for two seasons, and both times they made it to the Western Athletic Conference tournament. In her first season, she guided the Wildcats to an 11-win season, including a victory over Texas Tech, marking the program’s first win over a Power Four school since 2013.

In her second season, the team had a 10-win season but would lose to the eventual conference champion UT Arlington in the WAC Tournament.

A figure Moronu Alstrup looks up to is LSU’s volleyball head coach, Tanya Johnson. “She’s just always been like a really great figure in the volleyball world. I’ve always really admired her career, and she’s been somebody that really pours back into young coaches as well. Starting like a convention for women and women of color,” Moronu Alstrup said.

Other than coaching volleyball, Moronu Alstrup makes an effort to empower the people around her. “I put a lot of effort into making sure that the people in our programs—assistant coaches, GAs, whatever has the opportunity to accomplish whatever they want to accomplish in the coaching world,” she said.

ABIS is an organization founded in 2020 that supports and elevates Black athletes, coaches, and administrators in the sports industry. Its mission is to recognize and celebrate exceptional Black coaches and other influential figures in sports while addressing issues related to representation and opportunity.

ABIS offers resources such as financial literacy programs for college athletes and professionals and hosts seminars, webinars, and podcasts that focus on the unique challenges faced by Black individuals in the sports world across all levels.