Former Wichita State All-American Katie Zimmerman joined the Shocker volleyball staff in May of 2022 and is entering her fourth season.
Zimmerman (then Reilly) starred as a middle blocker at Wichita State from 2012-15, helping the Shockers to three Missouri Valley Conference championships, three NCAA tournament appearances, four 20-win seasons, and a run to the Sweet 16 in 2012. As a three-year starter, Zimmerman earned AVCA All-American, All-Region, and All-Conference honors as a senior in 2015. She received her B.S. in Exercise Science from Wichita State.
Zimmerman returned to Wichita after being the Head Indoor and Beach Volleyball Coach at Spartanburg Methodist College (SC) from 2018-2022. Over the course of her four seasons in Spartanburg, Zimmerman was twice named Coach of the Year, guiding the Pioneers to three region titles. She coached nine All-Region players and the 2021 Region 10 Player of the Year in Laura Lietzke. Zimmerman also helped 14 student-athletes continue their playing career at the next level. The indoor program improved from a 14-19 campaign at the start of Zimmerman's tenure in 2018 to a 29-10 finish in 2022. Zimmerman took the indoor success over to the sand by starting the beach volleyball program in 2020. During the first full season in 2022, the Pioneers went 15-4 and took third at the inaugural AVCA Two-Year Beach Championships.
Prior to her time at Spartanburg Methodist, Zimmerman served as an Assistant Coach at the University of Louisiana from 2017-2018. She helped lead the Cajuns to a 21-11 record, marking their most successful season in the rally-scoring era. Zimmerman primarily worked on opponent scouting and the team's blocking strategy – the Cajuns went on to lead the Sun Belt Conference in blocks per set and digs per set.
Upon graduating from Wichita State, Zimmerman attended the University of South Carolina as a graduate student, playing two seasons (2016-2017) on the beach volleyball team under former WSU assistant RJ Abella. During her time in Columbia, the Gamecocks earned their first bid into the NCAA National Championship Tournament, and Zimmerman secured a spot in the USA Volleyball Collegiate Beach Pairs Championship in 2017. She received her M.S. degree in Exercise Science with an emphasis on Rehabilitation Sciences.
She is joined in Wichita by her husband Parker, a former Shocker baseball player, and their son Parks.
