Boise State Athletics
McKayla Hazard Announced as Beach Volleyball Assistant Coach
8/21/2025 1:00:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
BOISE, Idaho - McKayla Hazard will join the Boise State beach volleyball program as an assistant coach, head coach Alex Venardos announced on Thursday.
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"McKayla is somebody that has been on my radar for years," Venardos said. "Her ability to empathize, connect, and empower the players she works with was noticeable the first time we crossed paths. She cares deeply about her players as people and consistently seeks to positively shape their belief in themselves. These are attributes that fit right in with how our program operates.
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"I don't think I have met somebody who has asked more questions than McKayla. She always wants to know the "how" and "why", whether she agrees with it or not. Our program is not a finished product. We need people like McKayla to make sure we cover our blind spots and continue to adapt in how we approach understanding and teaching the game."
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Hazard is well known in the Pacific Northwest beach volleyball community, having spent the past five seasons as head coach and mindfulness director of Kokua Volleyball Club in Spokane, Wash. Coaching the elite team, she led her squad to a BVCA National Championship in the club division, becoming the first club from the Northwest to do so. She also claimed a second-place finish in the futures division.
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She also served as a volunteer assistant indoor coach for Gonzaga during the 2019-20 season and stayed on as a consultant to the program in 2021. She was involved in all aspects of the team, including practice planning, pregame film, scouting, running specialized position training for pin hitters, recruiting and mental performance training.
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"I am beyond grateful to Alex Venardos and the rest of the Boise State family for providing the opportunity to do what I am most passionate about on one of the sport's greatest stages," Hazard said. "Former head coach Allison Voight, Coach Alex and Coach Luna have established Boise State as a powerhouse in the West. I look forward to learning, growing and contributing what I can to the existing level of excellence, both on and off the sand, throughout the upcoming season."
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Prior to joining the staff with the Zags, Hazard spent her fifth year of NCAA eligibility competing as a member of the top pair for Loyola Marymount. As team captain, she was named West Coast Conference First Team All-Conference, WCC First-Team All-Academic, and was nominated for the WCC Female Student-Athlete Sportsmanship. She graduated with a Master's in Educational Studies.
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Prior to that, she spent all four years of her indoor career at Gonzaga, where she surpassed 1,000 career kills. Academically, she was named a WCC All-Academic First Team member and two-time WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention recipient. She also earned the Basha Academic Athlete Award, the Basha Outstanding Academic Accomplishment, Dr. Voie Stuart Chase Coy Scholar-Athlete Award and was the recipient of the Father Schlatter S.J. Book Award.
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"McKayla is somebody that has been on my radar for years," Venardos said. "Her ability to empathize, connect, and empower the players she works with was noticeable the first time we crossed paths. She cares deeply about her players as people and consistently seeks to positively shape their belief in themselves. These are attributes that fit right in with how our program operates.
Â
"I don't think I have met somebody who has asked more questions than McKayla. She always wants to know the "how" and "why", whether she agrees with it or not. Our program is not a finished product. We need people like McKayla to make sure we cover our blind spots and continue to adapt in how we approach understanding and teaching the game."
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Hazard is well known in the Pacific Northwest beach volleyball community, having spent the past five seasons as head coach and mindfulness director of Kokua Volleyball Club in Spokane, Wash. Coaching the elite team, she led her squad to a BVCA National Championship in the club division, becoming the first club from the Northwest to do so. She also claimed a second-place finish in the futures division.
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She also served as a volunteer assistant indoor coach for Gonzaga during the 2019-20 season and stayed on as a consultant to the program in 2021. She was involved in all aspects of the team, including practice planning, pregame film, scouting, running specialized position training for pin hitters, recruiting and mental performance training.
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"I am beyond grateful to Alex Venardos and the rest of the Boise State family for providing the opportunity to do what I am most passionate about on one of the sport's greatest stages," Hazard said. "Former head coach Allison Voight, Coach Alex and Coach Luna have established Boise State as a powerhouse in the West. I look forward to learning, growing and contributing what I can to the existing level of excellence, both on and off the sand, throughout the upcoming season."
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Prior to joining the staff with the Zags, Hazard spent her fifth year of NCAA eligibility competing as a member of the top pair for Loyola Marymount. As team captain, she was named West Coast Conference First Team All-Conference, WCC First-Team All-Academic, and was nominated for the WCC Female Student-Athlete Sportsmanship. She graduated with a Master's in Educational Studies.
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Prior to that, she spent all four years of her indoor career at Gonzaga, where she surpassed 1,000 career kills. Academically, she was named a WCC All-Academic First Team member and two-time WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention recipient. She also earned the Basha Academic Athlete Award, the Basha Outstanding Academic Accomplishment, Dr. Voie Stuart Chase Coy Scholar-Athlete Award and was the recipient of the Father Schlatter S.J. Book Award.
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