Tija Rudzitis (Northwestern-St. Paul '13) enters her fifth season on the Augsburg volleyball coaching staff, spending her first three years as a graduate fellow assistant coach.
Previous Coaching Experience
Before coming to Augsburg, Rudzitis served as an assistant coach at Legacy Christian Academy in Andover, Minn., coaching hitting and blocking. She also serves as a volunteer coach for the Crossfire Volleyball Club in Andover. In 2016, she competed at the U.S. Volleyball national team's open tryouts in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Playing Experience/Achievements
A 6-3 middle blocker, Rudzitis played her first three seasons of college volleyball at Colorado Christian University (2009-12), where she led the Cougars to two appearances in the National Christian College Athletic Association national tournament. She earned NCCAA all-region honors in 2010, and earned Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Academic honors twice, as a first-team honoree in 2010 and second-team honoree in 2011. She was a team captain in the 2011 season.
She transferred to the University of Northwestern-St. Paul for her senior campaign in 2012, earning All-Upper Midwest Athletic Conference honorable-mention honors as part of an Eagles squad that won the UMAC title and qualified for the NCAA Division III national tournament. She averaged 2.71 kills and 1.18 blocks per-set in her senior season.
A native of Andover, she played her high school volleyball at Meadow Creek Christian School. A four-year starter, she was part of teams that reached the Minnesota state tournament twice. She earned All-Minnesota Christian Athletic Association honors twice, a first-team selection in 2008 and second-team selection in 2007.
Personal Notes
Rudzitis earned her bachelor's degree in music from Northwestern in 2013, and a M.A. degree in Leadership at Augsburg in 2019.
