St. Cloud State associate head volleyball coach Marci Taumalolo enters her 13th season with Huskies Volleyball in 2022. At the conclusion of the 2019 season, Taumalolo was promoted from top assistant to associate head coach. Honored as part of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Thirty Under 30 in February of 2011, Taumalolo has helped shape St. Cloud State Volleyball into a national power.
In 12 years with the program, Marci has recruited and coached six AVCA All-Americans, eight AVCA All-Region honorees, 13 All-NSIC selections, two NSIC Libero and Freshmen of the Year recipients, two AVCA Central Region Freshmen of the Year honorees and an AVCA DII National Freshman of the Year. 64 student-athletes have earned Academic All-NSIC honors under Taumalolo's watch.
The Huskies defense has developed into one of the top units in the NSIC during Taumalolo's time with SCSU, ranking top-six across the Northern Sun in digs per set in five of the past six seasons. St. Cloud State led the NSIC in both digs and digs/set in 2019, holding opponents to the fifth-lowest hitting percentage across the league.
Throughout her career at St. Cloud State, liberos have flourished as Taumalolo has recruited and coached back-to-back record-setters. Of the top-10 single-season dig leaders in program history, seven performances have been overseen by Taumalolo. Four of the Huskies' top-six career dig leaders have played for Taumalolo: Clara Krenz (2016-19), Brianne Stamer (2012-15), Chelsea Nagle (2008-11) and Linsey Rachel (2018-22). Krenz established herself as one of the all-time St. Cloud State greats in her time with the program, racking up a Huskies-record 2227 digs and becoming the program's first-ever 2000 Dig Club member. She was named an All-American, a two-time NSIC Libero of the Year and garnered All-NSIC honors three times while leading the Northern Sun in digs per set during the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons. Stamer preceded Krenz as the program's all-time dig leader, posting 1929 digs in her illustrious career and earning All-NSIC honors during the 2015 campaign with a conference-leading 5.46 digs per set. Rachel paced all NSIC outside hitters in digs and digs per set during the 2021 campaign, developing into one of the best six-rotation players in the nation under Taumalolo's watch. Nagle provided the third-most single-season digs with 481 in Marci's first season with the Huskies, going on to finish third all-time in digs at the time of her graduation.
Taumalolo helped guide the Huskies to their first NSIC regular season title since 1982 and earning the program's first NSIC Tournament Championship in 2021. St. Cloud State went 27-5 with a 19-1 mark in NSIC play to finish alone atop the conference standings. The Huskies earned the No. 2 seed at the Central Regional in Warrensburg, Missouri, closed the season ranked No. 10 in the final AVCA top-25 poll and set new program standards for fewest losses and best single-season winning percentage. St. Cloud State's offense was one of the most terminal units in the Nation, ranking seventh in hitting percentage (.270), 10th in assists (1576), 13th in kills (1682), 15th in assists per set (13.0) and 17th in kills per set (13.9). The Huskies' fearsome block ranked seventh in total blocks (305.0) and ninth in blocks per set (2.5) at the conclusion of the season.
Prior to her appointment at St. Cloud State in July of 2010, Taumalolo spent the previous three seasons (2007-09) as the assistant coach at Ball State. In her three seasons with the Cardinals, she helped lead the Ball State back court to top-five rankings in the final Mid-American Conference dig rankings each season. In 2007, the Cardinals finished fifth with 14.57 digs per set, while the back court improved two spots in 2008, ranking third with 15.43 digs per set.
Before her tenure with the Cardinals, Taumalolo was a four-year member of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s volleyball team. She finished her career at Minnesota (2003-06) ranked second on the school’s all-time career digs list at 1,401. After leading the Big Ten with a 5.22 digs per set her senior season, Taumalolo earned American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Honorable Mention accolades, was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was a First-Team All-Big Ten honoree. She was also a four-time Scholar Athlete and garnered the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week accolades three times during her collegiate stint.
Prior to her collegiate career, Taumalolo was a two-time AAU All-American (2001 & 2002) for the Kaepa Northern Lights Club, while being named an All-American at the 2000 Junior National Championships (16-Open) and picking up the “Best Setter” award at the 2002 National Junior Championships.
During her prep career at Armstrong High School in Plymouth, Minnesota, Taumalolo was an All-American and All-State player as a junior and senior. During her senior campaign, she led her team to an undefeated (29-0) record, while collecting 31 kills and 28 digs in the team’s state championship victory over Eagan High School. As a junior, she collected a school-record 53 kills in one match.
Taumalolo has earned a Master's Degree in Physical Education and Sports Administration (Ball State) along with a Bachelor's Degree in Business & Marketing (Minnesota, 2007).
A native of Plymouth, Minn., Taumalolo is married with five children. She has nine siblings, including three older sisters and one younger sister who all played collegiate volleyball, along with five brothers.
St. Cloud State associate head volleyball coach Marci Taumalolo enters her 13th season with Huskies Volleyball in 2022. At the conclusion of the 2019 season, Taumalolo was promoted from top assistant to associate head coach. Honored as part of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Thirty Under 30 in February of 2011, Taumalolo has helped shape St. Cloud State Volleyball into a national power.