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AMBER DUNN
Head Coach
Amber Dunn starts her second season as the UW-La Crosse head volleyball coach in 2018. In her first year as the Eagles' head coach, Dunn was named the 2017 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Coach of the Year. She led UWL to a 22-7 overall and 7-0 mark in the WIAC in 2017, earning its 12th regular-season title in school history.
UWL captured the 2017 WIAC Tournament Championship with a 3-0 victory over UW-Whitewater and earned an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships. It was the team's second league tournament title in school history, also wining in 2003.
Making its 15th appearance in the NCAA Division III Championships, UWL advanced to the 2017 NCAA Division III Regional Semifinals. The Eagles received votes in the final 2017 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 Poll.
Three players earned All-WIAC honors under Dunn in 2017, including Madison Entinger, Stephanie Henk, and Marisa Johnson. Henk was named the WIAC Offensive Player of the Year and selected the WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete.
Dunn earned the 2018 AVCA Thirty Under 30 Award, created in 2009 to honor up-and-coming coaching talent at all levels of the sport.
Prior to coming to UWL, Dunn served as head volleyball coach at The State University of New York at Geneseo for two seasons from 2015-16. She led SUNY Geneseo to a 17-15 overall record in 2016, qualifying for the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament for the first time since 2011. The Knights, 5-4 in conference play, were the tournament's fifth-seed and defeated fourth-seeded SUNY Fredonia in the quarterfinals before dropping its semifinal match to top-seeded and eventual tournament champion SUNY Brockport. SUNY Geneseo advanced to the tournament semifinals for the first time 2010.
A pair of freshmen were named to the 2016 All-SUNYAC Team under Dunn's tutelage. She helped lead the Knights to a 16-18 overall record in her first season as head coach in 2015. Dunn developed the first summer volleyball camp program at SUNY Geneseo, offering ways to improve the level of volleyball to youth student-athletes.
Prior to arriving at SUNY Geneseo, Dunn served as an assistant volleyball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point from 2012-14. The Pointers won three WIAC regular-season titles all three years and two league tournament titles (2013, 2014). UW-Stevens Point advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships all three seasons, including trips to the national semifinals in 2013 and 2014.
The Pointers went 97-18 overall (.843) in Dunn's three seasons as an assistant coach, including 29-8 in 2012, 35-5 in 2013 and 33-5 in 2014. UW-Stevens Point had a 21-match winning streak in 2014, advancing to the NCAA III Semifinals. The team finished fourth in the final AVCA Top-25 Poll in 2014.
UW-Stevens Point went 35-5 in 2013, recording the program's most wins in 18 seasons. The Pointers won their first-ever WIAC Tournament crown in 2013 and went to the NCAA III Semifinals. UW-Stevens Point went 21-3 (.875) in WIAC play from 2012-14.
A native of Hancock, Wisconsin, Dunn earned her bachelor's degree from Viterbo University (Wis.) and her master's degree from UW-Stevens Point. She was a four-year member of the Viterbo (Wis.) volleyball team from 2007-11, including three-year starter. A defensive specialist, Dunn served as team captain her senior season in 2010 and was a two-time member of the All-Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) Academic Team (2009, 2010). The V-Hawks finished 38-5 in 2010, winning the MCC title and finishing 27th in the final National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I Poll.
Dunn was an assistant coach for Viterbo (Wis.) in 2011 as the V-Hawks finished 36-8 and finished 24th in the final national rankings of the season. Leading the junior varsity team to a 17-4 record in 2011, Dunn spent five seasons (2007-12) coaching the V-Hawk Power Club Team.
She also serves as an associate lecturer in the UWL Exercise Science Department.
CHRISTA WEBER
Assistant Coach
Christa Weber begins her fifth season as an assistant coach with the UW-La Crosse volleyball team in 2016. Prior to coming to UWL, Weber was the freshman girls volleyball coach at Holmen (Wis.) High School in 2011.
She served as the graduate assistant volleyball coach at the University of Mary (N.D.) from 2009-11. Weber's duties included organizing recruiting information, creating game and camp promotional materials as well as assisting in daily practice organization, planning and execution. Earning her master's degree from the University of Mary (N.D.) in 2011, Weber also coordinated the team's "Dig for a Cure" event each year.
Weber earned her undergraduate degree from UW-Eau Claire in 2009 after playing outside hitter for the Blugolds for four seasons. She was the head coach of the Eau Claire Air Volleyball Club (2006-09) and served as a UW-Eau Claire Volleyball Camp Counselor (2006-10).
Weber resides in Onalaska with her husband, Joe.
DANICA JOHNSON
Assistant Coach
Danica Johnson is in her first season as an assistant volleyball coach at UW-La Crosse in 2016. A four-year letter winner for the Eagles from 2012-15, Johnson was team captain her senior season. She played in 85 matches for UWL, recording 700 career digs. Johnson led the Eagles and finished seventh in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) with 4.16 digs per set in 2015. She finished with 387 digs.
A four-year member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll, Johnson is a sport management major at UWL with organizational and professional communication and recreation management minors. Johnson will graduate in spring 2017. She plans to attend graduate school at Winona State University (Minn.) in fall 2017 for educational leadership.
A native of Spencer, Wisconsin, Johnson earned four letters in volleyball and softball and two in basketball at Spencer High School. She was a Cloverbelt East Conference First Team selection as a senior and earned Wisconsin State Volleyball All-Tournament Team honors. Johnson was a first team all-conference selection her junior year and honorable mention as a sophomore. A two-year captain, Johnson recorded 2,107 career digs. She set a state tournament record with 48 digs.
Johnson earned High Honors all four years and was a member of the National Honor Society.