Former Juniata College women's volleyball All-American Steph Strauss returns to the bench for her second season as an assistant coach. She joined the coaching staff in May 2011, immediately upon her graduation from Juniata.

"I am absolutely thrilled to have Steph on my staff," said Pavlik. "Her intelligence, personality and work ethic are a perfect fit for the Juniata women's volleyball program. She understands where the program has been and where we want to go, and is truly a student of the game. Steph will be a great mentor and teacher for the players and an exceptional colleague for me. Above all, she bleeds blue and gold."

Strauss, a native of Penn Hills, Pa., was a three-time All-America setter for Juniata women's volleyball, earning Second Team honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) in her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. She completed her career with 3,424 career assists, and stands seventh among Juniata's all-time assist leaders.

Strauss tallied 1,054 assists during her senior year, averaging 9.94 per set, with 199 kills (1.88 per set) and 226 digs (2.13 per set) on her way to Second team All-America honors. She guided a Juniata offense that finished the season with a .266 hitting percentage, ranked tenth in Division III. Strauss was named to the ESPN First team Academic All-America team, becoming the 20th Academic All-American in Juniata history and just the sixth to gain first team honors.

Off the court, Strauss was a three-time Landmark Academic Honor Roll selection and eight-time Dean's List honoree at Juniata. She interned in both the Juniata College J-Club and Sports Information offices, and was president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

In 2009, Strauss was the recipient of the NCAA "Elite 88" Award at the Division III Women's Volleyball Championship, as the student-athlete with the highest grade point average of any participant at the championship site. Strauss was named the recipient of the Landmark's Senior Scholar-Athlete Award for women's volleyball, as voted upon by a committee of Landmark athletic directors, sports information directors, and conference officers. 

Strauss is a 2011 graduate of Juniata, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sport marketing and management.