Sondra (Parys) D’Amore enters her third season at the helm of the Huskies volleyball program in 2025.
In the 2024 season, Parys guided seven athletes to Academic All-MAC honors, marking the fourth consecutive year with seven representatives on the Academic All-MAC team. Crew Hoffmeier and Savanah Brandt earned CSC Academic All-District honors following the season. Hoffmeier and Charli Atiemo each reached the 1,000-mark in the careers. Atiemo recorded her 1,000
th kill as a Huskie against Bowling Green while Hoffmeier recorded her 1000
th kill in two seasons against Miami.
In her first season (2023), Parys saw seven athletes earn Academic All-MAC, three earn CSC Academic All-District, and two player of the week (defense) honors in Charli Atiemo and Crew Hoffmeier.
D’Amore became the seventh head coach in NIU Volleyball history on December 15, 2022.
Parys comes to NIU after spending the past five seasons (2018-2022) as an assistant coach at Loyola University Chicago, helping guide the Ramblers to five consecutive winning seasons, including back-to-back regular season league championships in 2021 and 2022.
The Ramblers' won their first Atlantic 10 Volleyball Tournament Championship, capping a historic season in which the team won 25 matches, the most in 20 years. With the A10 automatic bid in hand, the program made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005.
In 2019, Parys was one of 11 NCAA Division I women's volleyball coaches to be honored with the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) Thirty Under 30 Award, which recognizes up-and-coming stars in the profession.
At Loyola, she directed the Ramblers' recruiting efforts that resulted in multiple players earning all-conference and all-freshman honors. She handled team travel, assisted with scouting, and served as the coaching staff's academic liaison. In addition to her on-court work, Parys acted as the Ramblers' mental health liaison, helping guide student-athletes to additional resources and support.
Parys was assistant coach at Division II Queens University of Charlotte (N.C.) for two years (2016-2017) prior to her time at Loyola Chicago. She helped Queens reach back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2016, as well as the first South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Championship in program history.
Parys began her Division I coaching career as an assistant at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, from 2014-2015. With the Bulldogs, Parys implemented new coaching strategies, drills, and IQ training for all positions while serving as the offensive coordinator. In addition to her role with the volleyball program, Parys handled duties as an academic advisor.
Along with her collegiate experience, Parys has served as head coach at Lake Norman (N.C.) Volleyball Club, Maumee (Ohio) High School and Charleston Juniors Volleyball Club.
It's a full-circle moment for the Parys family as her father, Joe, was on the 1981-82 NIU Hall of Fame men's basketball team and her mother, Lori, was a cheerleader at NIU.
Parys was a volleyball student-athlete at the University of Toledo from 2009-12 where she earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team and led the Rockets in kills her junior year. She holds a bachelor's degree in communications from Toledo and a master's degree in college counseling from The Citadel.
D'Amore, a native of Crystal Lake, Illinois, resides in Naperville, with her husband Austin.
| Years |
Location |
Title |
| 2022-present |
NIU |
Head Coach |
| 2018-2022 |
Loyola Chicago |
Assistant Coach |
| 2016-2017 |
Queens University of Charlotte |
Assistant Coach |
| 2016-2017 |
Lake Norman (N.C.) VC |
Head Coach |
| 2014-2015 |
The Citadel |
Assistant Coach |
| 2014 |
Charleston Juniors VC |
Head Coach |
| 2013 |
Maumee (Ohio) HS |
Head Coach |
Coach Parys Hiring Announcement
