Entering 2025
Gina Schmidt is entering her 13th season as the head coach of the Simon Fraser University volleyball program. She took over the leadership role in March of 2013 and has overseen the most consistently successful stretch in school history.
Heading into 2025, she has an overall win-loss record of 174-120 (.591) at SFU, and a 124-84 mark (.596) in Great Northwest Athletic Conference games. The team has made three NCAA Division II Championship tournament appearances with Schmidt as head coach (2016, 2021, and 2024).
2024 Season – Third NCAA Playoff Appearance
The 2024 season saw SFU finish 17-9 (13-5 GNAC) and made the first round of the NCAA tournament, falling 3-2 to NCAA Regional Finalists Cal Poly Pomona. The Red Leafs had their highest-ever finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings going 13-5 in league play to tie for second. This was SFU’s third NCAA regional tournament since becoming a full-time NCAA member in 2010.
2023 Season
The 2023 season saw SFU finish 16-10 (11-7 GNAC), making it nine straight seasons with a winning record in the conference.
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2022 Season
The 2022 season saw SFU finish 13-14 (10-8 GNAC). It was the eighth straight season SFU has finished with a winning record in the conference. Eva Person was named the GNAC Freshman of the Year and Brooker Dexter and Jocelyn Sherman were named to the 2022 GNAC Volleyball All-Conference Team.
2021 Season – Second NCAA Playoff Appearance
The 2021 season marked SFU’s successful return to the court after the cancellation of competition in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. SFU finished 17-9 (11-7 GNAC) and made the first round of the NCAA tournament, falling 3-1 to eventual national semifinalist Western Washington. Opposite Brooke Dexter made an outstanding university volleyball debut, winning GNAC and American Volleyball Coaches Association West Region Freshman of the Year awards, and a place on the AVCA All-America Third Team. She was named All-West Region by the AVCA and the D2 CCA. Senior setter Julia Tays was named an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and All-West Region.
2020 Season
Cancelled due to COVID-19.
2019 Season
The 2019 season saw SFU finish 17-11 (13-7 GNAC).
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2018 Season
The 2018 season saw SFU finish 15-11 (12-8 GNAC). Tessa May was an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention.
2017 Season
The 2017 season saw SFU finish 15-13 (12-8 GNAC). Tessa May was an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and Angelica Kilberg was the GNAC Newcomer of the Year.
2016 Season – First NCAA Playoff Appearance
The 2016 season was a historic one at SFU as Schmidt led SFU to a 21-8 (.724) record and the team placed third in the GNAC with a 14-6 mark. SFU earned its first trip to the NCAA Division II Championship, where the team fell to Northwest Nazarene in the quarter-final of the West Region tournament. McKay was again named GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and she was named to the D2 CCA and AVCA All-West Region and All-America teams. McKay became SFU's first NCAA All-American in volleyball.
2015 Season
Continuing to build on previous years success, Simon Fraser finished with a 15-13 record in 2015, including 11 wins in conference action. Libero Alison McKay was selected all-conference first team and the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, the program’s first major post-season award in the NCAA. Following the end of the season, McKay earned a spot on the Canadian senior national team.
2014 Season – First winning season in NCAA
In just her second season, Schmidt led SFU volleyball to its first winning campaign in a dozen years. The team finished 17-9 overall, 11-7 in GNAC play in 2014. That year, SFU had an impressive 10-3 record at home in the West Gym.
2013 Season – First Season as SFU Head Coach
In her first season as head of SFU Volleyball, Schmidt’s squad finished with a 11-13 overall record and 6-12 GNAC record.
Personal History
From Beaverlodge, Alta., Schmidt was a NCAA Div. I assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Montana prior to joining SFU. During the summers, Schmidt has been involved with the Canadian National Team program in various capacities, including head coaching the Junior National and Senior 'B' Teams. She was also an assistant with the Youth National Team and the Senior A Team at the World Grand Prix in Poland and Czech Republic in 2016.
As a player, Schmidt earned a Business degree while playing in the Pac-10 Conference for the NCAA Division I Oregon State Beavers. She was a member of the Canadian senior national team for several years and also played professionally in the top divisions of France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland as both a hitter and a setter.
See SFU's NCAA records and honours
