Women's Volleyball | 2/27/2026 1:00:00 PM
GENESEO, N.Y. - SUNY Geneseo Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation
Dani Drews has announced
Kate Isaksen as the Knights' Women's Volleyball Head Coach. Isaksen becomes Geneseo's ninth head coach in program history, succeeding Hunter Drews who spent the past nine years leading the Knights.
"We are thrilled to add Coach Isaksen to the Geneseo family," said Drews. "Kate has a history of success at every level. We can't wait to see the passion and energy she will bring to our volleyball program. We are confident she will make an impact on the academic and athletic success of our student-athletes, as well as the Geneseo community."
Isaksen joins Geneseo after spending the past two seasons as the assistant coach at Cortland, where she led the Red Dragons to two SUNYAC regular-season and tournament titles, advancing to the NCAA Div. III playoffs. Prior to her time with Cortland, Isaksen served as the women's volleyball head coach at SUNY Cobleskill in 2023, where she led the Tigers to a 5-5 record in North Atlantic Conference play. They were a conference divisional semifinalist and had two all-conference selections.
"I am honored to join the SUNY Geneseo community as the next women's volleyball coach," said Isaksen. "From the very beginning of the process, it was evident that Geneseo's commitment to excellence and holistic student-athlete development closely aligned with my vision for building a successful program. I would like to thank
Dani Drews, Jessica Seren, the hiring committee, and everyone involved for their trust and support throughout this process. I'm excited to meet the student-athletes and collaborate with the athletic department as we begin the next chapter!"
In 2022, Isaksen was the interim head coach at SUNY Brockport. The Golden Eagles finished that season with a 20-8 overall record and an 8-1 SUNYAC mark and advanced to the finals of the SUNYAC tournament. She also was Brockport's assistant coach in 2021 when the program finished 17-10 overall and 6-3 in league play.
Isaksen was a three-time AVCA All-America libero at Clarkson University, graduating in 2020 with bachelor's degrees in both computer science and mathematics. She also earned ECAC Division III Defensive Player of the Year honors three times and was a four-time All-Liberty League selection. The two-time team captain earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in both her junior and senior years.
A native of Glenville, N.Y., Isaksen was a standout player for Section II volleyball powerhouse Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School under Hall-of-Fame Head Coach Gary Bynon, helping the Spartans to a New York State Championship in 2015. She works at numerous spring and summer volleyball camps and clinics. Isaksen earned a master's degree in adolescent mathematics education from SUNY Brockport in May of 2024.