Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer Hired As New Head Coach At Long Beach State

Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer Hired As New Head Coach At Long Beach State

Only three weeks after longtime Long Beach State head coach Brian Gimmillaro announced his retirement, the university hired LBSU alum Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer to take his place.

Jun 27, 2017 by Megan Kaplon
Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer Hired As New Head Coach At Long Beach State
The latest Division I women's volleyball head coaching position to open up has already been filled. Only three weeks after longtime Long Beach State head coach Brian Gimmillaro announced his retirement, the university hired LBSU alum Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer to take his place.

McKienzie-Fuerbringer played at Long Beach State in the early '90s, earning All-American honors and setting her team to a national championship in 1993. After graduating, she played on the Bud-Lite 4-Person Tour, competed on the AVP, and played indoor professionally in Europe.

She has also coached at the highest level, serving as an assistant at Long Beach from 1999 to 2001 and at UCLA from 2010 to 2014. She also spent time coaching at Golden West College and with the U.S. youth national team. A big presence in the club scene, McKienzie-Fuerbringer has served as director and head coach at Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club for 22 years and is the owner of The MAC Athletic Club in Carson, California.

"I am thrilled and honored to be coming back home to my alma mater," McKienzie-Fuerbringer said. "This is a dream job, and I am grateful for the opportunity to represent our proud university and be a part of the great Long Beach State volleyball tradition and its supportive community."

McKienzie-Fuerbringer's husband, Matt Fuerbringer, will also join the LBSU women's volleyball staff as an associate head coach. Fuerbringer is an assistant coach with the U.S. men's national team and was an assistant with the UCLA men's volleyball team in 2013. He is also the owner and director of Team Rockstar Volleyball Club.

An four-time All-American at Stanford, Fuerbringer is best known for his beach volleyball career. Playing mostly with Casey Jennings, Fuerbringer won eight titles on the AVP tour, including most recently the 2013 AVP Manhattan Beach Open.

"What Matt brings to our staff is very special," McKienzie-Fuerbringer said of her husband. "He has a great presence and motivates those around him to always want to improve. He brings years of experience from both playing professionally and coaching and has an ability to relate and instill confidence in players."


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