LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's volleyball coach Spencer McLachlin has announced his coaching staff for the 2026 season. Jimmy Lundgren, Casey Schoenlein and Kat Chen have joined the Triton staff for their first season in La Jolla.
 
In December, McLachlin was named the eighth head coach in program history, set for his first season with the Tritons in 2026. Lundgren joins the staff as associate head coach, while Schoenlein and Chen will serve as assistant coaches with McLachlin's squad this fall.
 
JIMMY LUNDGREN
A San Diego native, Lundgren joins the Tritons after serving as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at California Baptist for the 2025 season. Prior to CBU, Lundgren was an assistant coach on Jennifer Petrie's staff at San Diego for six seasons, helping the Toreros to their historic Final Four appearance in 2022. 
 
In his career, Lundgren has helped develop one National Player of the Year, 15 All-Americans, one All-Region Player of the Year and one All-Region Freshman of the Year. Lundgren has coached three Conference Players of the Year, three Conference Setters of the Year, two Freshman of the Year and one Libero of the Year. Additionally, 14 players have received All-Region honors, 58 have earned All-Conference recognition and 11 were named All-Academic selections.
 
In his six seasons at USD (2018-2024), Lundgren helped the Toreros to a 126-43 record, five NCAA Tournament appearances (including a Final Four) and the 2019 and 2022 West Coast Conference Championships. In addition to recruiting, training and scouting responsibilities, Lundgren was also USD's technical coordinator and oversaw all logistics for the program.
 
Lundgren worked with USA Volleyball in the summer of 2024 serving as a team leader and assistant coach for the Senior National Team during the NORCECA Final 6 Tournament and the Pan-American Games. The team brought home the silver medal in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and featured nine All-Americans including AVCA Player of the Year Olivia Babcock. Prior to USD, Lundgren also had stints at Point Loma Nazarene (2014-2017), Minnesota (2013) and his alma mater, Azusa Pacific (2009-2013) where he earned his bachelor's degree in communications in 2009 and his Master of Science in physical education in 2010.
 
Coach McLachlin on Jimmy Lundgren:
"We are incredibly lucky to have added Jimmy Lundgren to the Triton women's volleyball staff as our associate head coach," said McLachlin. "I've known Jimmy for several years through the volleyball world and can say he is one of the most genuine good-hearted people I've ever come across in the profession. Not only is he a great human, but he's a great coach, mentor, and professional who will make our program and department a better place. Jimmy has experience in every aspect of a coaching staff, recruiting, player development, team building, game planning, and brings Final Four coaching experience. Not to mention he is a San Diego native, and cares deeply about his players, his relationships, and his community. He is the exact right person to help me build this program into what we know UC San Diego volleyball can be."
 
CASEY SCHOENLEIN
Schoenlein joins the Tritons after serving on the San Diego staff from 2023 to 2025, first as a graduate assistant and later promoted to assistant coach in 2024. 
 
In her three seasons with the Toreros, Schoenlein helped the squad to a 60-24 overall record, the 2025 WCC Championship and a 2025 NCAA Tournament berth. Additionally, she helped develop two WCC Setters of the Year, two WCC Freshman of the Year, one WCC Libero of the Year, as well as 23 All-WCC honorees including 10 First Team selections.
 
Schoenlein came to USD after a distinguished playing career that spanned both the college and professional volleyball ranks. She spent four years at Washington State as an opposite, earning an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention in 2016 alongside four Pac-12 All-Academic First Team selections (2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017) and Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognition in 2017. After graduating, she served as a student coach for the Cougars for one season. Schoenlein helped the program reach the NCAA Tournament three times, including two trips to the second round as a player and an appearance in the Sweet 16 as a student coach.
 
Schoenlein began her professional career in January 2019 with the Sta. Lucia Realtors in Manila, Philippines. Following that rookie season, Schoenlein spent the next four years competing professionally in France on several different teams. A native of Bellevue, Wash., Schoenlein earned her bachelor's degree in journalism and media production in 2018 from WSU.
 
Coach McLachlin on Casey Schoenlein:
"Casey blew me away during the interview process," said McLachlin. "I've coached against Casey several times and have been impressed with her teams, how she interacts with her players, and how many roles she was able to fill for her staff. We will be a better, more organized, more connected team and staff because of Casey's presence. Her experience in the WCC will prove very useful in 2027 when we make the leap to the new conference. Casey was a great player at Washington State and overseas and will be a role model for our team on what it takes to be a professional player at the highest levels."
 
KAT CHEN
Chen comes to La Jolla after spending two seasons at fellow Big West member UC Santa Barbara as an assistant coach from 2024 to 2026. 
 
Chen hails from Australia where she most recently spent the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach and manager for the Australian Senior Women's National Team, the Volleyroos.
 
With a wealth of international experience, Chen's first head coaching opportunity came at the Swedish National Junior Training Centre in 2019. After three years as the head coach for the youth girls, she returned to Australia to serve as an assistant coach to the Canberra Heat and at the Australian Volleyball Academy. In addition, she coached the Future Stars Academy U23 Women's Team in the AUS Junior Volleyball Championships. The following year, she assumed the head coaching position of the Adelaide Storm in the Australian Volleyball Super League and led the team through their 2023 season.
 
Chen played for the Australian Women's National Team from 2009-2018 leading the team to the VNL Challenger Cup, Asian Senior Championships, FIVB World Grand Prix Group 3 and VTV Cup. Chen graduated from Victoria University in 2016 with a bachelor's in exercise science and clinical rehabilitation.
 
Coach McLachlin on Kat Chen:
"Kat comes to us from a very good UC Santa Barbara program," said McLachlin. "Which was made better by her presence on staff. She brings a worldly view of volleyball, a unique experience of being a head coach at the professional level, and a holistic approach to coaching and player development. Our women are incredibly lucky to have a role model who will train them at volleyball and life. And I am incredibly lucky to have such an experienced coach on staff, with experience in the Big West, building UC San Diego volleyball into the program we know it can be."
 
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 began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference 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.