Sarah Chlebana will enter her 16th season with the program as assistant coach in 2026. After coaching the Hornets from 2008-14, she spent three years at Fresno State (2015-17), prior to making her return to Sacramento State in 2018.
Chlebana has spent 19 years on the Sacramento State campus as either a player or a coach. She starred for the Hornet volleyball team from 1997-00 where she was a four-year starter, helping the team to four consecutive Big Sky championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.
The program has won at least 20 matches three straight years, including a 20-10 overall mark and 12-4 in the Big Sky (second place) in 2025. Also, during the 2025 season, the Hornets won four Big Sky individual awards for the first time in program history - Victoria Marthaler (MVP), Kate Doorn (Setter of the Year), Reese Ampi (Libero of the Year) and Keonahi’ilani Solaita (Freshman of the Year).
The Hornets have finished no worse than 10-6 in conference each of the last six seasons, and during that time, Chlebana helped coached the program’s second and third Div. I All-Americans. That included Victoria Marthaler in 2025 and Bridgette Smith in 2023. Prior to that, Sacramento State hadn’t produced an All-American since 1995.
She was the assistant coach for a historic 2024 season that included the team winning the Big Sky Tournament championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. The team finished with a 21-12 overall record, 11-5 in league play, and Sacramento State went 3-0 at the Big Sky Tournament in front of large home crowds throughout the entire event. It was the team’s second straight postseason appearance, which includes an NIVC berth in 2023.
In 2023, Sacramento State won its first Big Sky regular season championship since 2017 while going 22-12 overall, 13-3 in league play, and 13-5 at home. The 22 wins were the most in six years, and the team never lost more than two straight matches. The Hornets qualified for the NIVC for the fifth time in program history, and won a match at the postseason tournament (sweep of UNLV) for the first time since 1995.
At home, the Hornets have been dominant over the last five seasons, combining to go 43-8 against Big Sky opposition at the Nest.
Chlebana, who accumulated 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs as a player, has a total of 23 years of coaching experience. That includes the 2007 season as an assistant at Div. I Long Island University, where she helped coach the team to the Northeast Conference regular season and tournament championships, and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to coaching at Long Island, Chlebana spent the 2006-07 season as an assistant coach for the Belgian semi-professional team Volleybalclub Oudegem. In two years as an assistant at Syracuse (2004, 2005), she helped lead the Orange to back-to-back Big East Conference Tournament appearances for the first time since 1999. In addition, Syracuse combined to post a 50-17 overall record during her tenure with the team. She also spent one season (2003) as an assistant at Div. I Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
As a player with the Hornets, she was a two-time second team all-Big Sky selection (1999-00) and 1998 Big Sky all-tournament choice. The Calgary, Alberta, native never missed a match during her career, and finished with 1,116 kills, 1,348 digs, 271 blocks and 85 aces.
Chlebana served as the team captain her senior year, and the Hornets combined to post a 92-40 overall record during her four seasons.
She graduated from Sacramento State in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, and a minor in mathematics.
