Northern State University Volleyball Camps

Head Coach

Brent Aldridge
Head Coach

Brent Aldridge enters his 13th season with the Wolves in the fall of 2023, compiling a record of 224-99 at Northern State. Aldridge has brought the NSU volleyball program to new heights as the Wolves have become a perennial member of the AVCA Top-25 and a top-5 finisher in the NSIC. 

In the fall of 2022, the Wolves went 18-11 overall and 13-7 in the league, finishing seventh in the Northern Sun. Three Wolves tallied NSIC All-Conference honors including Sally Gaul (first team), Taylor Buckley (second team), and Keri Walker (second team). Gaul concluded her Northern State career as an AVCA All-America honorable mention team member. 

Northern posted an 18-11 mark in 2021, notching top-25 victories over No. 25 Rockhurst, No. 10 Winona State, No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State, and No. 10 Concordia-St. Paul. The Wolves finished the year in fifth in the NSIC standings, holding a 13-7 league record. Three Wolves were named to the NSIC All-Conference teams in Sally Gaul (first team), Peyton Ellingson (second team), and Natalia Szybinska (second team). 

The Wolves won back-to-back NSIC Championships in 2019, taking the out-right crown with a 17-3 league mark. NSU posted a 25-6 record overall, advanced to their third straight NCAA Tournament, and finished the year ranked at No. 8 in the AVCA Top-25 Poll. Seven Wolves were named to the NSIC All-Conference teams including first team honorees Ashley Rozell, Jenna Reiff, and Laura Synder, and second team recipients Jaiden Langlie, Sally Gaul, Morgan Baufield, and Peyton Ellingson. It was the most selections in one season for the program, while Snyder garnered the first Offensive Player of the Year honors in Wolves volleyball history. Snyder went on to be named the AVCA and D2CCA Central Region Player of the Year. She was named an AVCA First Team All-American, while Rozell and Reiff grabbed second team accolades. Northern broke the single season school record for team kills and Rozell became the all-time leader in career assists. Rozell capped off the year for the Wolves, being named the second CoSIDA Academic All-American in program history. 

2018 brought the first NSIC Conference Championship in program history, as the Wolves won a school record 26 matches. Aldridge earned the third NSIC Coach of the Year honor of his career and five Wolves were named to the NSIC All-Conference teams. Ashley Rozell, Laura Snyder, Hailey Busch, and Jenna Reiff grabbed first team honors, while Jaiden Langlie earned second team accolades. The 2018 Wolves broke four single season school records (team kills, team serve percentage, team wins, and season assists - Rozell) and advanced to the NCAA Central Region Tournament for the second straight season. Busch, Rozell, and Snyder finished the year as AVCA All-Americans, the most in one year for NSU, and the Wolves ended the season at No. 10 in the AVCA Top-25 Poll. 

In 2017, Aldridge led the Wolves to the third NCAA Regional appearance in school history, earning the fourth seed out of the Central Region. Four Wolves were named to the NSIC All-Conference first team in Hailey Busch, Ashley Rozell, Jenna Reiff, and Laura Snyder, with Snyder being named the NSIC Freshman of the Year. Snyder was also named to the Central Region All-Tournament team, while Busch garnered both All-Region and All-American honors from the AVCA. Northern finished the season ranked at No. 12 in the AVCA Top-25 poll with a 23-7 record overall. Seven Wolves were also named to the NSIC All-Academic team for recording a GPA of 3.20 or higher, while Rozell was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District(R) Team. 

The Wolves remained in the AVCA Top-25 throughout the 2016 season, finishing ranked No. 21 in the country with a 16-12 record overall. They tallied top-5 wins over No. 5 Western Washington (3-2) and No. 4 Wayne State (3-1). Tori Biach became the first CoSIDA Academic All-American(R) for Wolves volleyball in 2016 with a cumulative GPA of 4.00. 

Aldridge led the Wolves to new heights in 2015, tying the school record for single season wins with 25 and breaking the school record with a 21 game win streak to open the season, to name a few. The Wolves started the season unranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll, and climbed to as high as No. 2 for two consecutive weeks, finishing the year ranked No. 14 overall. Under his direction the Wolves defeated two No. 1 ranked teams in the country for the first time in program history (UMD, CSP). NSU registered four wins against teams in the AVCA Top-25, and finished tied for second in the competitive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. 

Brent was named the NSIC, AVCA Central Region, and South Dakota Sportswriters Association's Collegiate Women's Coach of the Year. He tallied four All-NSIC performers in Drew Smith, Kelsey Chambers, Cari McGarvie, and Mandy Kuroksy. Northern also tallied their first ever AVCA First Team All-Americans in Drew Smith and Kelsey Chambers. The Wolves finished the season leading the nation in hitting percentage (.320) and second in the nation in assists per set (14.00). Senior setter Drew Smith paced the NSU offense under the direction of Aldridge, and led the nation in assists per set for the entirety of the 2015 season, ultimately finishing the year averaging 13.13. 

Aldridge was named the NSIC Coach of the Year and the South Dakota Sportswriters Association's Collegiate Women's Coach of the Year in 2013 after he led the Wolves to a 22-8 record and a trip to the NCAA Regional Tournament. The regional appearance was just the second appearance in program history (2006). Northern also reached the AVCA top-25 for the first time in school history, climbing to as high as 20th in the polls.

Kelsey Chambers became the first AVCA All-American in school history in 2013 under Aldridge as she was named Third Team All-America. Chambers was also a First Team All-NSIC selection. Aldridge coached three other student-athletes to All-NSIC honors as well, as Tori Biach, Sami Nygaard and Drew Smith were Second Team selections. Northern's 9-0 start was the best start to a season in program history. The Wolves won nine-straight matches on two separate occasions in 2013, the second-longest streak in school history.

Aldridge led NSU to a 19-11 record in 2012, including going 13-7 in the NSIC. Both marks were the Wolves’ best finish since 2001. 2012 was also Northern’s first winning season since 2006. Three student-athletes were named All-NSIC performers under Aldridge. Kaleinani Kabalis was a first team selection, while Smith and Chambers made it on the second team.

Aldridge’s 2011 squad finished the year 13-14 and 8-12 in the league. Paula Martins was named honorable mention all-NSIC in 2011 and was eighth in the conference averaging one block per set. Claire Kopfman was seventh during conference play with a .294 hitting percentage under Aldridge’s tutelage.

Aldridge came to NSU after three years as the top assistant coach for Arizona State under head coach Jason Watson. At ASU, Aldridge served as the defensive coordinator, helping the Sun Devils to a 13th place ranking in the nation in blocks per set (2.74) in 2009.

Prior to his time at Arizona State, Aldridge was also the head assistant coach under Watson at Brigham Young University. There, he helped the Cougars to a 74-18 record and one Mountain West Conference regular season title and three NCAA tournament appearances in three seasons, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2007.

Aldridge also has Division I coaching experience at the University of New Mexico (2002-05) – where the Lobos set the school’s single-season block and assist record in 2002. Aldridge also spent one season at Northern Arizona University (2001-02). NAU finished second in the Big Sky Conference that season and improved their blocking average to a ten-year high 2.70 per set, up from 2.38 per set the previous season.

Aldridge hin his 28th year at the collegiate level spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons at the helm of St. Mary’s College in Leavenworth, Kan., building that program from scratch.

A native of Spirit Lake, Iowa, Aldridge is a 1992 graduate of the University of South Dakota, where he served as an assistant coach from 1994-96. He and his wife, Mary, have three children: Madison, Brayden, and Maisy.