Women's Volleyball | 11/19/2014 2:32:00 PM

The North Park University Athletic Department introduced Natalie Dietz (Emro) as its new Head Women's Volleyball Coach this afternoon. Dietz, who served briefly as the interim head coach, succeeds Tim Walenga, who served in the position for the last six seasons.

"Natalie has clearly demonstrated the capacity to handle responsibility in her time here. I am confident that she will be exceptional in her role as the new head volleyball coach at North Park University," stated Athletic Director Dr. Jack Surridge.

Dietz takes over the North Park program after serving as the graduate assistant for one year where she helped lead the Vikings to a 9-24 overall record, which included a six-match winning streak, the longest such streak by the Vikings in the last seven seasons.

"I welcome the opportunity to lead the Viking volleyball program into its next phase of commitment to excellence. I am excited about the direction the current athletes have established and even more excited about where we are going. In establishing the core values of discipline, attention to detail and teamwork, we will build and propel this program forward," Dietz said.

Prior to North Park, Dietz completed a successful four-year career as a student-athlete for the Michigan State Spartans volleyball program. As a student-athlete, Dietz competed in 127 matches over four years and finished ranked third in all-time assists and total sets played. She also helped lead the Spartans to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2011 and recorded 30 assists in a 3-1 NCAA tournament victory over Arizona Dec. 2, 2011. She finished her senior year ranked second in single season total assists with 587 and 94 blocks. In addition to her collegiate career, Dietz also played professionally for Nova KBM Branik in Maribor, Slovenia, and was a key part in leading Nova KBM Branik to the MEVZA pro volleyball league championship.

Her prior coaching experience includes time with the Energy Volleyball Club, where she served for the past two years. Dietz currently resides in Chicago, with her husband Michael.