Red River brings back veteran volleyball coach Carolyn Olson

Tom Miller, Grand Forks Herald
·1 min read

Mar. 22—GRAND FORKS — Grand Forks Red River has a new volleyball coach, but it's a very familiar name.

Grand Forks Public Schools announced Wednesday that Red River has hired Carolyn Olson as head volleyball coach.

Olson, most recently head coach at Fargo Davies, coached Red River from 1994 to 2019.

In her 35 years of head coaching experience, Olson's teams have won seven state championships.

"Coach Olson is a well-respected figure in high school volleyball and has proven herself to be a strong leader for her programs," Red River athletic director Tyler Nelson said. "We are excited for her to return."

Olson led the Roughriders for 24 seasons from 1994-2018. During that time, the Riders won six state titles, seven East Region tournaments, qualified for 21 state tournaments and made nine appearances in the state championship match.

While at Red River, Olson was named the NDHSCA Coach of the Year eight times and earned the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award in 2014-15.

She was inducted into the NDHSCA Hall of Fame in 2016.

Red River, under former coach Heather Chatham, finished 17-18 in 2022, missing out on the state tournament.

At Davies last season, Olson's Eagles finished 19-15 and also missed the state tournament.