Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus Ole Miss on September 5, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
/
7:00 p.m.
Women's Volleyball
vs Ole Miss
South Dakota State University Athletics
Women's Volleyball
Aiazzi, Cole
Cole Aiazzi
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- Cole.Aiazzi@sdstate.edu
Cole Aiazzi enters his second season with the South Dakota State volleyball team in 2025.
Aiazzi helped the Jackrabbits go 27-3 (15-1 Summit) in 2024 and earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. SDSU started the season with a 22-0 mark, the best start to a season and the longest win streak in program history, and went on to win the Summit League regular season and finish runner-up in the Summit League postseason. The Jackrabbits’ first NCAA at-large bid in program history sent SDSU to Lincoln, Nebraska, where the team fell to Miami in the opening round. SDSU's final RPI of the season was 34.
Three Jackrabbits earned Summit League honors in 2024. Sylvie Zgonc was named the Summit League Player of the Year, AVCA All-Region and All-America honorable mention as just a sophomore. Her 4.37 kills per set and 4.88 points per set both rank third in a single season for the Jackrabbits. Zgonc was joined on the All-Summit First Team and All-Region team by Sydni Schetnan. Schetnan also set a new program record with a .388 hit percentage in 2024 and tallied 146 total blocks on the year, the second most in a single season at SDSU. Madison Burr was tabbed the Summit League Freshman of the Year and was an honorable mention all-league selection. Her 130 blocks in her freshman season is the fourth-most my an SDSU player in a single season. Rylee Martin tallied 38 ace serves on the year, also program record.
The Jackrabbits set six team statistic records in 2024 - kills per set (13.13), hit percentage (.242), aces per set (1.59), total blocks (310.0), blocks per set (2.74) and points per set (17.47). SDSU also set a new volleyball attendance record at its home opener against Kansas City with 2,853 fans. It was also the first official event held at the newly-renovated First Bank & Trust Arena.Â
Aiazzi came to the Jackrabbit volleyball program after one season at Eastern Illinois and six seasons at Montana State.
While at Eastern Illinois in 2023, Aiazzi helped the Panthers win the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and earn the right to host the OVC Tournament for the first time since 1998. The Panthers swept their way through the OVC postseason to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. He was the team's defensive coordinator.
With Aiazzi on staff, four Panthers landed on the All-OVC First Team, including the league player of the year and setter of the year. EIU finished the season 28-4 overall and 15-3 in conference matches.
At Montana State, Aiazzi served as acting head coach, associate head coach, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator during his six seasons on staff. He spent time working with both the offense and defense at MSU. In 2019, Aiazzi coached Bobcat libero Allyssa Rizzo to Big Sky Libero of the Year honors. She is the Montana State leader in career digs and is one of three players in Big Sky conference history with more than 2,000 digs in their career. Two more Bobcats earned all-Big Sky recognition that season, making it the first time in program history three players received all-conference honors in the same year.
Prior to joining the Bobcat staff in July 2017, Aiazzi spent the 2016 season on staff at Nebraska, which won the Big Ten and made a Final Four appearance that season. Before his stop in Lincoln, Aiazzi was a graduate assistant coach at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, where he produced scouting reports and trained liberos and outside hitters. He also assisted with recruiting duties.
Aiazzi has club experience with Volleyball Club Nebraska, where he coached the 17 Elite squad to a Heartland Cup championship and a top-five finish at Asics President's Day Classic.
Aiazzi is a 2015 graduate of Lakeland College, where he was an AVCA Division III All-America libero. As a player, he was the 2015 Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-MCVL selection for the Muskies.
Aiazzi holds a bachelor's degree in exercise science and sport studies. He earned a master's degree in educational administration from Nebraska. He is a native of Yerington, Nevada.Â
Aiazzi helped the Jackrabbits go 27-3 (15-1 Summit) in 2024 and earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. SDSU started the season with a 22-0 mark, the best start to a season and the longest win streak in program history, and went on to win the Summit League regular season and finish runner-up in the Summit League postseason. The Jackrabbits’ first NCAA at-large bid in program history sent SDSU to Lincoln, Nebraska, where the team fell to Miami in the opening round. SDSU's final RPI of the season was 34.
Three Jackrabbits earned Summit League honors in 2024. Sylvie Zgonc was named the Summit League Player of the Year, AVCA All-Region and All-America honorable mention as just a sophomore. Her 4.37 kills per set and 4.88 points per set both rank third in a single season for the Jackrabbits. Zgonc was joined on the All-Summit First Team and All-Region team by Sydni Schetnan. Schetnan also set a new program record with a .388 hit percentage in 2024 and tallied 146 total blocks on the year, the second most in a single season at SDSU. Madison Burr was tabbed the Summit League Freshman of the Year and was an honorable mention all-league selection. Her 130 blocks in her freshman season is the fourth-most my an SDSU player in a single season. Rylee Martin tallied 38 ace serves on the year, also program record.
The Jackrabbits set six team statistic records in 2024 - kills per set (13.13), hit percentage (.242), aces per set (1.59), total blocks (310.0), blocks per set (2.74) and points per set (17.47). SDSU also set a new volleyball attendance record at its home opener against Kansas City with 2,853 fans. It was also the first official event held at the newly-renovated First Bank & Trust Arena.Â
Aiazzi came to the Jackrabbit volleyball program after one season at Eastern Illinois and six seasons at Montana State.
While at Eastern Illinois in 2023, Aiazzi helped the Panthers win the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and earn the right to host the OVC Tournament for the first time since 1998. The Panthers swept their way through the OVC postseason to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. He was the team's defensive coordinator.
With Aiazzi on staff, four Panthers landed on the All-OVC First Team, including the league player of the year and setter of the year. EIU finished the season 28-4 overall and 15-3 in conference matches.
At Montana State, Aiazzi served as acting head coach, associate head coach, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator during his six seasons on staff. He spent time working with both the offense and defense at MSU. In 2019, Aiazzi coached Bobcat libero Allyssa Rizzo to Big Sky Libero of the Year honors. She is the Montana State leader in career digs and is one of three players in Big Sky conference history with more than 2,000 digs in their career. Two more Bobcats earned all-Big Sky recognition that season, making it the first time in program history three players received all-conference honors in the same year.
Prior to joining the Bobcat staff in July 2017, Aiazzi spent the 2016 season on staff at Nebraska, which won the Big Ten and made a Final Four appearance that season. Before his stop in Lincoln, Aiazzi was a graduate assistant coach at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, where he produced scouting reports and trained liberos and outside hitters. He also assisted with recruiting duties.
Aiazzi has club experience with Volleyball Club Nebraska, where he coached the 17 Elite squad to a Heartland Cup championship and a top-five finish at Asics President's Day Classic.
Aiazzi is a 2015 graduate of Lakeland College, where he was an AVCA Division III All-America libero. As a player, he was the 2015 Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-MCVL selection for the Muskies.
Aiazzi holds a bachelor's degree in exercise science and sport studies. He earned a master's degree in educational administration from Nebraska. He is a native of Yerington, Nevada.Â
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