SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Volleyball team has added two new coaches to its staff – Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Charlie Condron and Assistant Coach Sam Calisto. Condron joins from James Madison University and Calisto from Ventura College. 

FROM HEAD COACH MICHAEL HENCHY
"I am thrilled to have Charlie and Sam on my staff! They bring outstanding experience to the program and both were great indoor players throughout their careers," Henchy said. "Their infectious energy brings life to any setting they enter, and their genuine care for student-athletes beyond the court made them obvious choices to me. I am grateful for their commitment to UCSB Women's Volleyball, their belief in my program vision, and I believe their positive impact on our players and community will be felt immediately. Go Gauchos!"

CHARLIE CONDRON
Condron was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at James Madison University for five seasons (2020-2025), where he led the Dukes to two Sun Belt Conference Championships (2022, 2025) and two NCAA Division I Tournament appearances (2022, 2023).

Condron first joined the JMU staff in the spring of 2020 as the program's assistant coach under Lauren Steinbrecher. He served as assistant coach for four seasons (2020-2024) before being promoted to the Dukes' associate head coach in April 2024.

In his first season at the helm, he played a pivotal role in the development of Brenya Reid and Annie Smith. Both players took home All-Conference Honors, with Reid tying the program's second-highest kills per set average in a single season. 

Under his guidance as assistant coach, the Dukes maintained a combined 66-15 conference record over four seasons. Condron helped recruit and develop numerous all-conference performers while coaching the Dukes to two consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship (2022, 2023). In the 2023 season, JMU's win over a ranked opponent earned the Dukes their first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in program history.

Prior to JMU, Condron spent two seasons (2018, 2019) as an assistant coach for the women's volleyball program at Minot State University where his responsibilities included recruitment and player development. During the 2018 season he helped the Beavers win the most matches in the program's DII history. In May of 2020, Condron graduated with his master's in sports management from Minot State. 

Condron was the head coach for the boys' and girls' volleyball teams at his alma mater, Huntington Beach High School, before his first collegiate coaching appointment. Recording 121 wins, Condron led the teams to two state championship titles. He concurrently served as assistant coach for the Club H Volleyball Club.

Condron was a collegiate student-athlete at CSUN (2010-2013) and was a starting libero for the nationally-ranked Matador team. As a two-year captain and four-year letterwinner, the Huntington Beach native led the team in digs his junior season and started all 26 matches. He graduated in 2014 from CSUN with a bachelor's of science in business management. 

"I am excited to welcome Charlie as the Associate Head Coach for UCSB Women's Volleyball. He brings championship level coaching to the program, and has built long lasting relationships throughout his career as a coach," Henchy said. "Charlie and I had an outstanding relationship in our time at JMU, and he is a wonderful connector in addition to his ability to teach the game. He will make us all better people, and greatly impact our athletes lives. His experience and his care for people made him a priority target for this position and I am thrilled to watch him make an impact for our athletes and program."

SAM CALISTO
Sam Calisto has been named an assistant coach for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos women's volleyball program, bringing experience in collegiate, club and high school volleyball from throughout California and the Mountain West.

Calisto arrives in Santa Barbara after serving on the coaching staff at Ventura College Pirates women's volleyball, where she helped guide the program to a standout 23-2 record during the 2023 season. The Pirates captured their third conference championship in four seasons and earned the top seed in the Southern California Regional Playoffs. She also assisted the Pirates' beach volleyball program, helping the team claim a Western State Conference title and finish as state runner-up that spring.

Calisto brings six seasons of collegiate coaching experience to the Gauchos, much of it spent in the Santa Barbara area. She previously served as an assistant coach at Westmont Warriors women's volleyball during the 2014-15 season before joining the staff at Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros women's volleyball from 2015-17 under head coaches Ed Gover and Lisa Gera.

During her time with the Vaqueros, Calisto helped lead the indoor program to an undefeated Western State Conference record and a conference title in 2016. She later became head coach of the SBCC beach volleyball program, helping guide the transition from a club team to an official intercollegiate sport in 2018.

In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Calisto has spent more than a decade coaching elite-level club volleyball with organizations including Montana Volleyball Academy and Rise Volleyball Club. She led multiple teams to Junior National Championship appearances and guided teams to five consecutive Gold Division finishes in the Southern California Volleyball Association.

Calisto also served as head coach at Villanova Preparatory School, where she led the Wildcats to the CIF-SS semifinals in 2018; the program's deepest postseason run in 18 years. Off the court, Calisto works as the Director of Clubs and Programs for Starlings Volleyball USA, a nonprofit dedicated to providing opportunities for at-risk youth through volleyball.

A former collegiate player, Calisto competed at the Division I level at Cal Poly as a setter and defensive specialist before finishing her career as libero at the University of Montana. During the 2012 season, she recorded 347 digs for the Grizzlies. She graduated from Montana with a degree in Organizational Communication and a certificate in Entertainment Management. She also earned a Master's Degree in Exercise Science with emphasis in Sports Psychology.

Prior to her collegiate career, Calisto starred at Dunn School, where she earned three team MVP honors and first-team All-Santa Barbara County and All-CIF Southern Section Division IV recognition as a setter and outside hitter.

Calisto's volleyball roots run deep in Santa Barbara. She grew up playing beach volleyball on East Beach and earned a AAA rating from the California Beach Volleyball Association at age 16. She continues to compete at the Open and AAA levels across California. 

Calisto's ties to UC Santa Barbara also run in the family. Her father, Mike Maas, was an All-American men's volleyball player for the Gauchos, winning two national championships and later being inducted into the UC Santa Barbara Hall of Fame in 2016.

"Sam made such a powerful impression in our first conversation and throughout the interview process she continued to show qualities that made it clear she was the right fit for UCSB," Henchy said. "She is full of life and passionate about developing the whole person in her role as a coach. She brings skills that stretch beyond the court, and she has the knowledge and ability to bring our athletes to the next level in the gym. She was an obvious choice for me as I learned more about her as a person, and she has a deep love for Santa Barbara and UCSB that made it impossible to hire anyone else. She will make an immediate impact on our team and the community, and I'm excited to welcome her and her family back to the UCSB Women's Volleyball program as an assistant coach.