Dianne Popp begins her third season as assistant volleyball coach.
Popp, a native of Opunake, New Zealand, was previously a physical education teacher and head volleyball coach at Wichita (Kan.) Northwest High School. During her 10 seasons as coach of the Grizzlies, Popp guided her teams to the Class 6A Regional Championship Game every season and never had a losing season.
She was named the Greater Wichita Athletic League Volleyball Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2010. Her Grizzlies won the 2009 6A Region Championship and qualified for the state tournament and won the Greater Wichita Athletic League Championship with a 16-0 record – their first undefeated league season in school history – in 2010, earning a state ranking as high as No. 2 in 6A.
Popp played basketball collegiately for two seasons (1994-96) at Casper (Wyo.) College, where she was a NJCAA First Team National All-American, Region IX Player of the Year, team captain, an Honorable Mention Kodak All-American and team captain. She also received the Jean Wheatly Award and holds many school scoring records. She also earned an associate’s degree in English Literature.
She finished her collegiate basketball career at NCAA Division I Wichita State University (1996-98), where she led the team with a 10.6 points-per-game average, was named team captain and was named to the 1998 Missouri Valley All-Tournament Team. Popp graduate from Wichita State in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education.
Popp was the New Zealand National Basketball League Player of the Year in 1997 and played on the New Zealand 2000 Women’s Olympic Team.
She is married to Chris Popp, who is an assistant men’s basketball coach at UAFS, and the couple has two children – a son, Vaughn Harold, and a daughter, Autumn Dianne.
