Alija Pittenger

Alija Pittenger joined Loyola University Maryland as the head coach of the women’s volleyball program in January 2015. She brought to Loyola a proven track record from her prior tenure at Fairfield University (2008-2013), where she compiled a 113-77 overall record, an 87-18 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and captured four MAAC regular-season championships and two MAAC tournament titles. Earlier in her career Pittenger served as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh (2003-2007) and the University of Southern Indiana (2002). She earned her Bachelor of Science in Movement Science (with a concentration in Motor Control) from the University of Michigan in December 2001, where she was a four-year letterwinner and helped Michigan’s women’s volleyball program reach its first ever Top 25 national ranking in 2000. At Loyola, Pittenger emphasizes both competitive excellence and academic integrity, leading a program that competes at the NCAA Division I level while aligning with the Jesuit values of the university.