Staff Directory
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- Office:
- HAH 338
St. Cloud State Volleyball associate head coach Marci Taumalolo completed her 15th season with Huskies Volleyball in 2024.
At the conclusion of the 2019 season, Taumalolo (prounounced tah-muh-LOW-low) 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 into a national power while establishing a well-deserved reputation as an elite mind in the field of player development.
In 15 years with the program, Marci has recruited and coached 13 AVCA All-Americans, 16 AVCA All-Region honorees, 24 All-NSIC selections, two NSIC Libero and Freshmen of the Year recipients, two AVCA Central Region Freshmen of the Year honorees and two AVCA DII National Freshmen of the Year. 91 student-athletes have earned Academic All-NSIC honors under Taumalolo's watch.
Taumalolo helped lead St. Cloud State to three NSIC Tournament Championships (2021, 2022, 2024), five straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2019-24) and NSIC Regular Season titles in 2021 and 2024.
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 nine 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. Kenzie Foley followed Rachel by leading all NSIC outsides in digs during the 2022 season. 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.
Marci's work with the Huskies setters has resulted in some of the best offensive seasons in program history, overseeing standouts including All-American Maddy Torve, Emma Berran, Erin Ohlemann, Marissa Kline and Jennifer Waterman. Maddy Torve became the first Huskies setter to earn All-American honors with a 2021 First Team AVCA nod after averaging 11.75 assists/set in and closed her career third all-time in program history with 4278 assists. Emma Berran delivered a Huskies’ first-year record 1286 assists as a true freshman in 2022 while averaging 11.18 assists/set, landing her eighth and seventh respectively across the NCAA while becoming the first SCSU true freshman to start at setter since Waterman did so in 2007. Jennifer Waterman graduated third all-time in career assists while Erin Ohleman closed her career sixth all-time.
Each of the Huskies' seven best single-season team serve-receive percentages have been recorded with Taumalolo guiding the defense while four of the top five hitting percentage defenses have been Taumalolo-coordinated. St. Cloud State has held opponents to hit below .200 in each of their last five seasons, the longest such stretch in program history.
Taumalolo moved back into her role as the top assistant in 2015 and has helped oversee an incredible turnaround, leading the Huskies to five straight 15-plus win seasons dating back to 2017 – marking the program’s first such span since 1992-96.
Appointed as the interim head coach during a tumultuous 2014 campaign, Taumalolo helped navigate the Huskies through a difficult schedule while overseeing the continued development of a young roster. Libero Brianne Stamer finished third in the NSIC with 4.97 digs/set while senior setter Erin Ohlemann averaged 9.31 assists/set to land eighth in the league and graduate sixth all-time in career assists.
Joining St. Cloud State in July of 2010, Taumalolo spent her first four seasons with the program as an assistant coach. Marci developed standout setters Jennifer Waterman and Erin Ohlemann while truly shining in her work with the defensive specialists. Libero Chelsea Nagle improved her digs/set output by nearly a dig and a half in her first season with Taumalolo, closing her career third all-time in digs, while Brianne Stamer enjoyed an incredible true freshman campaign in 2012 by posting a .956 reception percentage and 4.62 digs per set.
Following her graduation from Minnesota, Taumalolo began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Ball State from 2007-10. 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.
A legendary four-year standout at Minnesota, Taumalolo finished her collegiate career with the Golden Gophers ranked second on the school’s career digs list with 1,401. Leading the Big Ten with 5.22 digs per set as a senior, Taumalolo was named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was a First Team All-Big Ten honoree. She was a four-time Scholar Athlete and picked up Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week nods three times.
Taumalolo was a two-time AAU All-American for the Kaepa Northern Lights Club while being named an All-American at the 2000 Junior National Championships (16-Open) and earning 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. As a junior she recorded a school-record 53 kills in a single match.
Taumalolo earned her master's degree in Physical Education and Sports Administration at Ball State along with her undergraduate degree in Business & Marketing at Minnesota.
A native of Plymouth, Minn., Taumalolo is married with six children. She has nine siblings, including three older sisters and one younger sister who all played collegiate volleyball, along with five brothers.
