University of Texas at Dallas Women's Volleyball

Zach Villarreal was named just the second head coach in UT Dallas volleyball history in July 2022.  In four seasons, Villarreal has led the Comets to a 51-47 record. In his first season at the helm, UTD went 21-6 overall and won the American Southwest Conference regular season at 14-2, They went to on to win the ASC Championship for the eighth time in program history and advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. For his efforts, Villarreal headed up the ASC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2022. ZACH VILLARREAL VIDEO PROFILE The first season in the Lone Star Conference saw the Comets go 6-11 and tied for 12th. Villarreal coached one All-LSC selection and an LSC All-Academic honoree. He has coached 11 All-ASC selections, including a league Setter of the Year and Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year, as well as one AVCA All-Region pick in 2022. Villarreal has been a part of the UTD volleyball program since its inception in 2004. In 18 years as an assistant coach to Marci Allison, the Comets won seven American Southwest Conference championships and made eight trips to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. Villarreal’s main focus has been training the UTD setters. In 2008, he helped setter Niki Calverley become one of the nation’s statistical leaders in assists as she finished the year second in the nation in assists per set. In 2009, Calverley became the first UTD volleyball player to become an All-American as she was named to the AVCA D-III Third Team. Calverley was named an AVCA DIII First Team All-American for her efforts in 2010 as she received numerous ASC, regional, and national recognitions. He then mentored setter Kayla Jordan, who was tabbed the 2015 ASC East Player of the Year, and closed out her career with more than 5,000 assists. In 2013, Villarreal was honored by his peers as the AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year.  He was also involved with youth volleyball in the North Texas Region and has worked with Victory Volleyball Club in a training and mentoring position. Villarreal has qualified teams for the Girls Junior National Championships with Victory and Texas Image Volleyball Clubs. He has been the UTD Summer Volleyball Camp Director since 2005. He has also run team camps for various high schools as well as clinics for local club teams. Villarreal has also been a staff member as an on court coach for Dallas Premier Volleyball Camps, Illinois State Volleyball Camp, University of Illinois Volleyball Camp, and Angelo State University Volleyball Camp.  Villarreal is a member of the AVCA. He received his Bachelor's (2000) and Master's (2002) Degrees in Kinesiology from Angelo State University.    Year Rec. Pct. Conf. Rec. Pct. Place Postseason 2022 21-6 .778 ASC 14-2 .875 1st ASC Champion NCAA Championship Second Round 2023 12-13 .480 ASC 10-4 .714 3rd ASC Quarterfinals 2024 9-9 .500 DII-Ind. 2025 9-19 .321 LSC 6-11 .353 t-12th Total 51-47 .520 30-17 .638

Jalissa Trotter joined the UT Dallas volleyball staff as an assistant coach in March 2026, following experience gained at both the collegiate and professional levels as both a coach and player. She was honored with the AVCA Thirty Under 30 in March 2026. From 2023-25, Trotter served as an assistant coach at Tulane University, where she worked with the Green Wave offense while training the team’s setters and defensive specialists. She assisted in planning practices, organizing training sessions, and developing athletes’ technical skills while also serving as the program’s alumni relations coordinator and an external operations liaison. Trotter managed practice players and team managers, coordinated scheduling, and helped guide the development of an American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and an All-AAC First Team selection. She also coached a setter who finished among the top 10 in program history in assists. Before her time in New Orleans, Trotter was an assistant coach at Butler University during the 2022 season and served as the program’s interim head coach for a portion of the spring 2023 semester. With the Bulldogs, she assisted with practice planning and player development while also handling team travel coordination, itinerary planning, inventory management, and compliance communication. Trotter helped coach two Big East Libero of the Year honorees, as well as a Big East All-Freshman Team setter. Trotter also served as an assistant coach at Ouachita Baptist University, assisting with practice organization, workouts, scheduling, and team management while overseeing study hall and weight training coordination. During her time with the program, the team earned its fifth consecutive academic award. Before transitioning fully into coaching, Trotter competed professionally in Finland with Polkky Kuusamo in the Mestaruusliiga. A six-rotation starting setter, she helped lead the club to both a Finnish Cup Championship and a league championship—each the first in program history—and finished her professional career as the league’s female MVP while earning multiple monthly setter and player honors. Trotter began her coaching career as an intern head coach at the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central, where she oversaw all aspects of the volleyball program, including skill instruction, staff leadership, academic oversight, and equipment management. In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Trotter has worked in club volleyball with Core Elite Volleyball Club in New Orleans and Rev Volleyball Club in Indianapolis, instructing athletes in positional skills, leadership development, and player training while assisting with clinics and development programs. As a collegiate student-athlete, Trotter played setter at Syracuse University from 2015–18. She finished her career ranked eighth in program history with 2,520 assists and earned ACC Player of the Week honors on Oct. 23, 2018. She was also a member of the Cyclone Classic All-Tournament Team, a four-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection, and a 2018 All-ACC Academic Team honoree. Off the court, Trotter served on the leadership committee of Syracuse’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was active with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Trotter earned a bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science from Syracuse with a minor in physical education in 2019. She later completed a master’s degree in kinesiology with a concentration in coaching from Southern Arkansas University in 2022 and also earned a sports administration certification from Tulane University in December 2025. She holds certifications in adult and child first aid/CPR, concussion training, Title IX education, and NCAA recruiting, and is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Trotter was also selected as a speaker at the NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar at NCAA Headquarters in 2022. A native of Texarkana, Texas, Trotter comes from a family with a strong athletic background. Her mother, Melissa Trotter-Hardy, played volleyball at Henderson State University, while her uncle, Jeremiah Trotter, enjoyed a 12-year career in the National Football League and earned four Pro Bowl selections at linebacker.