Chatham University Women's Volleyball

Joseph Bortak, a Jeannette, Pa. native, is heading into his 8th season as the head coach of the women's Volleyball program. Bortak also began the men’s volleyball program at Chatham and is entering his 3rd season with the team in 2025/2026. During his time at Chatham with the women's program, Bortak has coached 14 different All-Conference recipients, 1 Rookie of the Year, coached the program to become regular season PAC champions (9-1) and led the Cougars to their first-ever home championship match in 2023, receiving PAC Coach of the Year honors in the same season. Bortak has led the Cougars to at least a semi-final appearance in each of the last 4 seasons of Presidents Athletic Conference play. Bortak played on the Juniata College men's volleyball team where he was a four-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American selection, including three First Team nods. Bortak was the first player in school history to be named on the All-Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) team all four years of undergraduate. Additionally, he was named on the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Star team multiple times. As a junior, Bortak helped Juniata win the CVC Championship and advance to the NCAA Division III national championships. In the same year, Bortak ranked second nationally and led the conference with a .439 hitting percentage and ranked 20th nationally in blocks per set (1.00). Bortak was named the CVC Freshman of the Year in his first year. He currently is the program leader in total blocks with 430. Following his accomplished career with the Eagles, Bortak was inducted into the Juniata Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2026. Bortak has played in multiple tournaments, including ones in Puerto Rico and Brazil, and is currently playing in the Volleyball Leage of America, the Unites State’s first semi-professional league. In June 2025, Coach Bortak spent two weeks in Brazil coaching USA’s Division III All-Star team in the cities of Sao Paulo, Jundai, and Rio de Janeiro. Bortak earned his Bachelor of Science in Education from Juniata and is working toward a Masters of Education at Westminster.  The Bortak Files Men's Volleyball Year Record PAC Record Winning Percentage 2023-24 6-14 No PAC Play .300 2024-25 7-14 4-8 .333 Total 13-28 4-8 .317 Women's Volleyball Year Record PAC Record Winning Percentage 2018 6-20 2-13 .231 2019 8-18 4-12 .308 2020 5-5 3-5 .500 2021 19-8 13-5 .704 2022 14-12 6-4 .538 2023 18-6 9-1 .750 2024 12-13 7-3 .480 Total 82-82 44-43 .500

The 2025 season marks the 3rd year for Arden Fisher as assistant coach at Chatham University. Fisher, a native of Pittsburgh, PA, is a 2017 graduate of Robert Morris University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design. While a student-athlete with the Colonials, Fisher was a four-year starter as a six-rotation outside hitter, appearing in 446 sets and amassing career totals of 1246 kills, 1852 digs, and 93 service aces. During her time at RMU, Fisher had the opportunity to play volleyball in Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Croatia, and Slovenia. Directly after her collegiate career, Fisher spent two seasons playing professional volleyball in both Switzerland and Albania, now returning to PA, to also coach at various clubs in the Pittsburgh area. In January 2025, Fisher was elected to the Robert Morris University Hall of Fame.

[email protected] Assistant Professor of Sustainability and the Environment Joined Chatham : 2009 Academic Areas of Interest Plants - populations, pollination, ecology, reproductive biology, use in gardens Personal Areas of Interest Native plants, big dogs, good music, good food, volleyball EDUCATION PhD, University of Virginia, 2003 (Biology) MS, University of Virginia, 1996 (Environmental Science) BA, BAH, Villanova University (Modern Languages/French and Honors Program) AAS, Montgomery County Community College (Data Processing) ORGANIZATIONS Botanical Society of America Society for the Study of Evolution Virginia Academy of Science Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society