Cali Thompson was named a women's volleyball assistant coach in July of 2023, and will begin her second season under her former coach at UCLA Megan Pendergast in the fall.
Primarily working with setters, Thompson coached Briley Decker to 9.45 assists per set, third best in the conference as well as All-Summit League Honorable Mention and All-Freshman team honors.
Thompson and Pendergast reunited in Denver after a season together with Thompson as a setter at UCLA. In her lone season with the Bruins after three with Portland, Thompson finished the campaign with 500 assists in 23 matches (6.58/set) and 2.13 digs per set. In three seasons with the Pilots, Thompson averaged over 10 assists and two digs per set, while racking up 112 service aces.
Following her collegiate career, Thompson has played professional overseas for Curitiba Volei (2021-22) in Brazil and Clube Kairos (2022-23) in Portugal.
"I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Cali Thompson to the Denver volleyball program," Pendergast said. "Cali brings a level of excitement and energy that is unmatched. Having played professionally and collegiately at the highest level, Cali brings invaluable experience and expertise to our program. Her vibrant personality and positive attitude are infectious, creating a dynamic and motivating environment for our student-athletes. We are privileged to have Cali as part of our program, and I cannot wait to see the positive impact she will have on Denver Volleyball.
"I always believed that Cali would excel as a coach when I had the opportunity to coach her at UCLA, and I am so grateful I get to work with her again, now as an assistant coach at DU."
