Cuesta volleyball coach Roche Nystrom captures win No. 300

Longtime Cuesta College volleyball coach Roche Nystrom captured the 300th victory of her career last week when the Cougars swept Santa Monica and Citrus on the road.

Now in her 24th year as head coach, Nystrom has been one of the pillars of the Cuesta volleyball program since her time as a player in the 1970s.

A Central Coast native who attended Coast Union High School in Cambria, Nystrom was a two-time all-conference performer and helped lead the Cougars to the school’s first CCCAA DII state championship back in 1979.

She returned to Cuesta as an assistant under Hugh Gerhardt and was on staff when the Cougars won back-to-back state titles in 1985 and 1986. Nystrom took over as head coach in 1993 and has led Cuesta to six conference championships, 11 playoff berths and two CCCAA state tournament appearances.

Four times Nystrom has been honored as the Western State Conference Coach of the Year — 1994, 2002, 2006 and 2007 — and has this year’s team off to a 9-4 start with league play beginning this week.

The Cougars host Antelope Valley in their final nonconference matchup Wednesday night and will take on Santa Barbara at 6 p.m. Friday inside Mott Gym.

This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Cuesta volleyball coach Roche Nystrom captures win No. 300."