Faith Steinwedell was announced as assistant coach for the volleyball program at the University of South Alabama on June 16, 2014. She is responsible for overseeing the defensive game plan for the Jags, scouting and coordinating team travel. She is also in charge of community outreach and alumni relations among other things.
Steinwedell came to South Alabama after spending the 2013 season at Georgia Regents University Augusta (formerly Augusta State University) in Augusta, Ga., as the top assistant under head coach Shannon Bonaventure. During her one season with the Jaguars, outside hitter Kristen Koch led the Peach Belt Conference in both kills (406) and kills per set (3.50).
Prior to beginning her coaching career, Steinwedell played collegiately at California Baptist University for one season and was a four-year member of the Mississippi State University volleyball program.
During her one season at Cal Baptist in Riverside, Calif., Steinwedell started all 26 matches in which she played and ranked third on the Lancer squad in digs (256) and total blocks (56). She also added 217 kills and her .267 hitting percentage was fourth-best on the club. For her play that season, she was selected both all-PacWest honorable mention and second-team National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) West all-region, while also picking up PacWest Conference academic all-conference honors.
The California native began her collegiate career at Mississippi State. During her time in Starkville, Steinwedell battled back from a pair of knee injuries and still managed to play three seasons for the Bulldogs. She was named team captain prior to both the 2012 and 2011 seasons and ended her career with 493 kills, 559 digs and 162 blocks. Steinwedell was also outstanding in the classroom as she was named to the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll each year from 2008-12. Steinwedell was also one of four MSU players to earn SEC Freshman Academic Honors in 2008 and was a President’s Scholar as a sophomore with a 4.0 grade-point average.
She received her master’s degree in kinesiology for sports management from CBU in 2012, a year after earning her bachelor of science degree in kinesiology for sport pedagogy from MSU in 2011.
Steinwedell was also a two-time all-conference and all-league standout at Santa Fe Christian School in Solana Beach, Calif., where she was part of a pair of state championship teams (2007 and 2005). SFCS also won district titles from 2004-07. Steinwedell earned third-team Union Times all-San Diego accolades and first-team all-Coastal North League honors both as a junior and senior.
She is the daughter of William and Barbara Steinwedell of La Jolla, Calif., and is the youngest of five children in her family – three sisters and a brother.
