LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC San Diego head men's volleyball coach Brad Rostratter has announced the addition of Taylor Hammond and Cole Mortland to the coaching staff for the 2023 season.

"We have assembled a staff that I am proud of because of the type of people they are in everything they do," said Rostratter, who is entering his first season leading the team. "I'm eager to go to battle alongside each of them. They have a tremendous amount of passion and love for the sport of volleyball paired with a mindset to generate an outstanding experience for the scholar-athletes."

TAYLOR HAMMOND - Assistant Coach
A former standout setter for Penn State, Hammond brings an impressive coaching and playing resume to La Jolla.

Most recently, he served as the top assistant as well as the recruiting coordinator at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif. The Pirates won a state championship in 2022.

In the spring of 2021, Hammond was a volunteer assistant with the Auburn University women's volleyball program.

Hammond has coached at several clubs and high schools in Orange County, including Balboa Bay and 949 Athletics on the club side as well as Dana Hills High School (2017-20), El Toro High School (2019-20), and Santa Margarita High School (2018).

A four-year starting setter for Penn State, Hammond was a four-time All-Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) selection and was the conference Newcomer of the Year in 2013. The Nittany Lions won four EIVA titles and advanced to the NCAA National Collegiate Championships three times. In Hammond's final season, he was ranked No. 1 in the EIVA and No. 5 in the NCAA with his average of 11.04 assists per set.

Hammond graduated from Penn State in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in communications arts and sciences.

Following graduation, Hammond played professionally in Germany. With Netzhoppers of Königs Wusterhausen, he reached the semifinals of the German Cup and was twice honored as a match MVP.

A 2011 graduate of Santa Margarita High School, Hammond led the school to four-straight Trinity League championships and two Orange County titles. He was a three-time All-Trinity League First Team performer and was the league's MVP in 2011. Also that year, Hammond was an All-CIF First Team pick and Second Team All-American.

Hammond also competed with Balboa Bay and won three Junior Nationals titles while earning two all-tournament team selections.

Hammond is from Mission Viejo in Orange County.

COLE MORTLAND - Volunteer Assistant Coach
Well-known in the San Diego volleyball scene, Mortland has served as the head coach of boys' 16-1s and director of college recruitment for the WAVE club program out of Del Mar since 2019. In 2022, his 16-1s team placed 10^th at Boys' Junior Nationals and finished 13^th in 2021.

Prior to joining WAVE, Mortland coached with Balboa Bay in Newport Beach. Between 2012 and 2019 he held titles of head coach and assistant coach. With Mortland on staff, his teams won gold medals at Boys' Junior Nationals in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2019. While at Balboa Bay, he trained 18 USAV BJNC All-Americans and helped send over 25 players to play collegiate volleyball.

For the 2013 and 2014 high school seasons, Cole served as the assistant coach for the Laguna Beach Boys Volleyball varsity team. During his time with the Breakers, he helped guide the team to two Orange Coast League championships as well as a D-III state championship in 2014.

Cole has also served as a coach and evaluator in the USA Volleyball High Performance pipeline.

As a player, Cole was a setter for Epic Volleyball Club from 2003 to 2008. He won a silver medal in the 18 Open Division at the 2008 USAV BJNC and was named an All-American at the tournament.

A San Diego native, Cole played for Mt. Carmel High School from 2005 to 2008, serving as the varsity squad's starting setter for his last three seasons. At Mt. Carmel, Cole was a three-time first team All-CIF selection. In his senior season, Cole served as captain and helped lead his team to a CIF San Diego Section DII Championship.

In college, Cole played club volleyball for UC Berkeley from 2008 to 2012, and took on team captain duties his senior year. He was a first team All-NCCVL selection in 2012 and helped lead his team to a silver medal at the 2012 NCVF National Championships. At the conclusion of his senior season, Cole was the runner-up for Cal Club Sports Male Athlete of the Year.

He received a bachelor's degree in sociology from Cal in 2012.

In 2018, Mortland earned his MBA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business with a double major in marketing and management. He currently works full-time in commercial real estate as a member of the marketing team at CBRE.

JON GIRTEN - Associate Head Coach
Jon Girten, who has been a coach with the team since 2017, remains on staff as Associate Head Coach.
 
"Jon has been a mainstay at UC San Diego and in the San Diego volleyball community through his time here," said Rostratter. "This fall, he has shown an immense amount of leadership and character to maintain the development of our program through training, recruiting, organization, and everything in between. His focus is always on the betterment of the program, which is a great quality that aligns with the rest of the staff." 

UC San Diego opens its 2023 campaign on Jan. 5 against Lincoln Memorial at UC Santa Barbara's Asics Invitational. For the complete season schedule, click here.

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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.