FIU Athletics named Terri Del Conte as head coach of the beach volleyball program on July 26, 2023.
Del Conte, who arrived in Miami after previous head coaching stints at UAB and Missouri State, is the second head coach in the history of the Panthers' beach volleyball program.
"I couldn't be more excited that Terri is leading our program," FIU Athletic Director Scott Carr said. "Her background as a professional beach volleyball player, as well as building two successful programs as a collegiate beach volleyball head coach, made her a perfect fit. Add to that her outstanding national reputation, and it was clear that Terri was the right choice. The fact that a sitting head coach at a great program is coming here shows the unlimited potential we have at FIU. Our future is bright!"
The native of Long Beach, Calif., was at the help for the UAB beach volleyball program from 2021-2023, where she guided the Blazers to back-to-back seasons with a program record total for wins - 17 in 2022 before besting that with 18 victories in 2023, which also saw UAB advance to the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament for the first time.
Prior to her time in Birmingham, Del Conte spent three years as the head coach at Missouri State where she served as the inaugural leader of the program following a standout indoor playing career with the Bears.
During her tenure as head coach at Missouri State, Del Conte guided the Bears through their first three seasons of beach volleyball. In 2019, only MSU's second year in the sand, she led the Bears to a winning record for the first time in program history at 13-11.
As a player Del Conte was a two-time all-conference selection and closed her career ranked fifth in school history with a career average of 3.83 digs per set, while her 605 digs as a senior sat third on the Bears' single-season chart.
Del Conte led the Bears to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in each of her two seasons as a player at Missouri State. A team captain and Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete honorable mention pick in 2008, her career high of 36 digs on Nov. 8, 2008, remains the No. 5 single-match total in school history, while her 973 career digs are the second-most for any Missouri State player in their first two seasons. After those two seasons, Del Conte graduated from Missouri State in 2009.
After her collegiate career, she immediately climbed the ranks of Pro Beach Volleyball and was a top-rated beach player in California for eight years, which led her to signing a contract with the AVP in 2016. She would go on to lead the AVP New York in digs per set that season.
Along with playing pro, Del Conte was also a personal trainer and owner of Center Balance Training in Orange County, Calif. from 2011-17, as well as helping coach at SandSoul Beach Volleyball Club in Huntington Beach since 2015.
