On Wednesday, it was announced that Kristin Watson, former volleyball assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, is leaving Washington State. She will be taking up a coaching position at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
Watson came to WSU in spring 2024 after coaching for two seasons at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. In her two seasons on the Palouse, she helped lead the Cougs to a 33–23 overall record.
As a recruiting coordinator, Watson helped the Cougars acquire key talent they will depend on even after she leaves. These names include Maddy Joswick, Eliana Ti’a, Livia Ward, Mary Healy and Tinons Munar Galmés.
Watson’s transition to UMBC is a welcome home. She played at UMBC from 2015 to 2018. She was named the 2016 Defensive Specialist of the Year in the American East Conference. Watson was also a two-year captain and a two-time all-conference selection.
In her UMBC career, she tallied 1454 digs. In 2016, she logged 497. For comparison, Munar Galmés led the Cougs with 332 digs this past season, and the leader in digs in the West Coast Conference in 2025, Lexi Trapani, recorded 450.
Watson also grew up in Bowie, Md., which is roughly a 30-minute drive from UMBC. This leaves the Cougars with three coaches on the coaching staff, in comparison to the four they had last year. She will be the only one not to return for the 2026 fall season.
