Alyssa Kaufman
Assistant Coach of 16 Black
Alyssa Kaufman has just completed her third season with the Fordham volleyball program, a campaign in which Fordham reached its first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship match. Over her three years under Coach Choi, the Rams have seen continued and sustained improvement, going from losing out on a spot in the league tournament in 2019 for the first time in nearly a decade due to a tiebreaker, to earning that postseason bid, to winning multiple tournament matches for the first time in program history.
Following her first year, which included several single-match records set or broken, senior Morgan Williams earned the program's first-ever A-10 Libero of the Year honor, while two freshmen (Megan Brzozowski, Aria De La Rosa) earned All-Rookie accolades for just the second time in school history. The 2019 season saw 12 overall wins and five league victories, both the highest marks since 2012, including finishing the year on a three-match win streak.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fall 2020 campaign was shifted over to a shortened Spring season with the Atlantic 10 adopting a two division format. The Rams went 5-5 overall and 5-3 in conference action to reach the A-10 tournament. Following the season, freshman outside hitter Whitley Moody was named the Atlantic 10's Rookie of the Year and First Team All-Conference, and also became the program's first AVCA All-Region honoree.
2021 marked a third straight year with five Atlantic 10 victories, earning the sixth seed in the Atlantic 10 tournament. The Rams defeated Saint Louis in five sets and VCU in four to set up a date with eventual champion Dayton. Moody earned Second Team All-Conference honors and the junior duo of Megan Brzozowski and Mallory Lipski were named to the All-Championship team. All three student-athletes enjoyed tremendous campaigns that saw them top-three in their respective categories within the league, with Lipski, in particular, having one of the best seasons by a Fordham libero.
Prior to her hire, Kaufman spent four seasons at the helm of the College of New Rochelle, where she also served as the department's Senior Woman Administration for five years and one year as the interim Director of Athletics.
Kaufman oversaw a perennial Hudson Valley conference champion during her time at New Rochelle, winning four straight regular season and league titles and making the program's first-ever appearances in the NCAA National Women's Volleyball Championships in 2016 and 2017. Kaufman was named the AD3I Coach of the Year following the Blue Angels' first appearance in 2016 and the HVIAC Coach of the Year following her first season, in 2015, after leading New Rochelle to its third consecutive conference championship and second-ever appearance in the postseason ECAC Metro tournament.
Prior to her time at New Rochelle, Kaufman spent one year at the College of Mount Saint Vincent, compiling a 14-16 overall record and a 6-3 mark in the Skyline Conference, advancing to the semi-finals of the conference tournament.
Kaufman played at Montreat (N.C.) from 2009-12, serving as a team captain all four years with the Cavaliers. A hands-on player with the NAIA program, Kaufman helped with the recruiting process by watching film and contacting players and helped the coaching staff with strategy. The Kaukauna, Wisconsin native finished off her playing career with 1,312 kills, 1,800 digs, 121 total blocks, and 118 service aces. She was named to the All-Freshman Team as a rookie and was an All-Conference selection her remaining three seasons.
Kaufman also garnered recognition for her work in the classroom at Montreat, earning All-Academic accolades three times and being named a Daktronics NAIA Scholar Athlete following the 2012 season. A standout in the classroom, Kaufman was named to the Dean's List at Montreat three semesters and was named to the Distinguished Scholars List on two occasions.
"Alyssa is a great addition to the program," Choi said, "As a former head coach and athletics director, she understands the entirety of the sport in the NCAA context. I'm looking forward to incorporating her knowledge, experience, and unique perspective into the 'Ramily'."
