SYLVANIA, Ohio. -- Sylvania Northiew volleyball head coach Chad Rutkowski announced Friday (Feb. 17) the hiring of four individuals to round out the staff for the 2023 campaign. Joining the Wildcats in 2023 will be Matt Trzcinski, associate head coach; Kristen Trzcinski, head junior varsity coach and varsity assistant; Skylar Iott, head freshman coach and varsity assistant; and Rachel Phalen, Northview class of 2018, as a volunteer assistant. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Matt, Kristen, Skylar and Rachel to Northview," said Rutkowski. "All of these individuals will bring compassionate competitiveness to our program as well as vast experience that will be immensely beneficial to our athletes and their families. Their combined expertise will all benefit the growth of Northview volleyball and volleyball in the Sylvania community. As we built this staff, the top prirotiy was high character people and championship experience remain top priorities, and all four of these individuals exude these qualities. Please join me in welcoming the Matt, Kristen, Skylar and Rachel to Northview Volleyball."

Matt Trzcinski will join the staff as associate head coach while being the lead coach for our defensive specialists. 

Trzcinski began coaching in 2008 and spent over a dozen years at Notre Dame Academy in varying roles within the volleyball program. He also coaches for Toledo Volleyball Club and serves on the board of directors. 

A 2001 graduate from Saint Francis de Sales High School, he was on the water polo and swimming teams. Trzcinski went on to play water polo for the University of Toledo’s club team and eventually played for the club volleyball team as well. 

Kristen Trzcinski will join the staff as the head junior varsity coach and varsity assistant while being the lead coach for our setters.

Kristen comes from much experience having coached at the high school and college level. Kristen played 4 years for Clay High School and 2 years for Owens Community College where she was their setter. Following college ball, Kristen started coaching at Clay High School where she coached for 5 years. That eventually led her to Cardinal Stritch, Anthony Wayne, Owens, and Notre Dame Academy where she took on many different rolls. Kristen also coaches for Toledo Volleyball Club.

Skylar Iott joins the staff as head freshman coach and varsity assistant while being the lead coach for our outside and opposite hitters. 

As an outstanding outside hitter during her playing days, Iott played for Northview Head Coach Chad Rutkowski at Premier Volleyball Academy for 5 years and was an All-American her senior year. For her high school career, she attended St. Mary's Catholic Central in Monroe, Michigan, she was a State Champion (junior year), State Runner-up (senior year), as well as a Miss Volleyball finalist in the state of Michigan. 

Collegiately, she played Division 1 volleyball at George Washington University in Washington, DC. She was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team, voted team MVP, and joined the 1,000 kill club during her senior year, where she currently ranked 6th in kills in program history.

Rachel Phalen will be jioning the Wildcats as a volunteer assistant working with outside and opposite hitters. 

Phalen played varsity all 4 years at Northview. She was apart of the 2015 team that won the NLL conference, and was also named an AAU All-American in the spring of 2016. She played travel at the Premier Academy where, unfortunately, she sustained an ACL injury going into my senior year and I did not get to play for Northview in the fall of 2017. She was able to play her last year of club volleyball, where she signed with the University of Charleston in West Virginia, a division 2 school that competes in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) where she played for three seasons.