OREM, Utah – Utah Valley University has announced that after generous donations from alumni and friends of the program—and in honor of head coach Sam Atoa's 25th season—the new Sam Atoa Endowed Volleyball Scholarship that will be awarded annually to a volleyball student-athlete.
 
"It has been an incredible 25-year ride with Sam as our head coach; he has been a big asset to our department, the community, the global community, and UVU. As I talk to former players, they continue to mention their love and appreciation for him and the impact that he has had on their lives. This gift will continue to remember and honor his legacy at UVU and in the community, "said UVU Director of Athletics Dr. Jared Sumsion. 
 
In his 25 seasons at the helm of the Wolverines, he has compiled an overall record of 473-293. He led Utah Valley through the transition from the Junior College program to the Division I era. In his time at the DI level, Atoa has compiled a 334-260 record.
 
He took the reins of the UVU women's volleyball in 1999 after serving as an assistant under head coach Lori Richards for six seasons. In his first season, he led UVU to a 32-12 record and took the team to the District 18 Championship match, where they finished as the runner-up. In his second season, Utah Valley got over the hurdle and made it to Nationals; they eventually earned a third-place finish, which was the best in the history of the program.
 
Atoa hit the national spotlight in 2002 when he was named Tachikara/AVCA Junior College National Coach of the Year and regionally won the Region 18 Coach of the Year.
 
He aided the transition to the Division I level in 2003 and earned wins over stable DI programs such as Boise State and the Pac-12's Washington State. In 2005, the Wolverines finished 18-11 and won the Division I Independent Championship, where they won 10 of its final 11 matches, and Coach Atoa was named Division I Independent Coach of the Year.
 
The Wolverines hit a period of remarkable success coming off their first Division I Independent Championship, as the team reached 21 wins in 2007 and won their second Division I Independent Championship.
 
In 2009, they broke a school record with 22 victories and their first win over a nationally ranked team with a 3-1 win over No. 17 Utah. The success continued in 2010 when the Wolverines finished 21-11, and they reached 23-9 in 2011, where Coach Atoa earned his first Great West Conference Coach of the Year award.
 
The Wolverines have reached the 18-win plateau seven times in his career since they reached Division I status for the 2009 season, during that he has guided UVU to the post-season three times, in 2018 they accepted an invitation to the National Invitational Volleyball Tournament, where he led UVU to their first D1 postseason victory over Wyoming 3-2.
 
Atoa has led Utah Valley to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances in school history, the first in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, where Utah Valley went to the bubble in Omaha, Neb. The second time came in the fall of 2021, when UVU was crowned WAC Champions for the second straight season. 
 
The Wolverines have seen tremendous academic success under Atoa, including earning the United States Marine Corps and American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award. They have currently earned the distinction for the last six years and 11 times overall in his career. To earn the award, teams must have a cumulative team GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.
 
Utah Valley has placed 74 on the Academic All-WAC teams since moving to the WAC and has put many more in previous conferences.
 
During his time at UVU, he coached UVU's first All-American Kazna Tanuvasa after she earned a spot on the AVCA Honorable Mention team in 2021, she added two AVCA Pacific South All-Region awards to her list of accolades.