Volleyball

Alija Pittenger was named the head coach of the women's volleyball program in March 2008 after spending five seasons as an assistant coach with the Panthers.

During her stint with the Panthers, she helped guide them to a Big East title and to two-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2006, she coached three Panthers to All-Big East honors in addition to a Big East Libero of the Year award and an AVCA All-America honoree.

Prior to Pitt, she spent 2002 at Southern Indiana, where she helped the Screaming Eagles to a conference title, a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament, and a first round victory. Pittenger also was an undergraduate assistant coach at Michigan, her alma mater, in 2001.

As a collegiate player with the Wolverines, Pittenger was a four-time letterwinner as an outside hitter and setter. She helped Michigan to its first top-25 national ranking in 2000 and to three NCAA Championship Tournaments in 1997, 1999, and 2000. Pittenger finished her senior year as the team leader in digs and was second on the Wolverines in kills.

She graduated from Michigan in December 2001 with a bachelor's degree in movement science.

Kera Carter enters her sixth season as an assistant coach for the Fairfield University women's volleyball team. In her role as an assistant coach for Jeff Werneke, she is involved in all areas of the Fairfield University volleyball program, including on-court instruction, recruiting, travel, and other administrative duties.

Carter, a native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, graduated from Rutgers with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in the spring of 2002. One of the school's most prolific hitters, Carter captained the Scarlet Knights to the Big East Championships in 2000, helping her squad earn a No. 24 national ranking.        

A four-year letter winner, Carter finished her career as a two-time Big East Player of the Week selection and a two-time Rutgers Most Valuable Player honoree. She was an unanimous selection to the first-team All-Big East in 2000 and was selected to the Northeast Region All-America squad.

Following her playing career, Carter stayed on at her alma mater to serve as a volunteer assistant coach. During her time on the New Jersey campus, she helped implement technical skills in daily practice, provide statistical analysis, and assisted with recruiting.

Carter also helped run the day-to-day operations of the Fairfield University Volleyball Camp for the past four summers. She served as a counselor at the Madawaska Volleyball Camp in Ontario, and worked at the Rutgers volleyball camp.