Jennifer Gardikas has completed two seasons as an assistant coach with the New York University women’s volleyball team after helping lift the Violets to national prominence as a student-athlete. She assists with recruiting and day-to-day operations of the program.
Last season, Gardikas helped develop a talented young roster as NYU earned its sixth straight postseason invitation, finishing 19-19 and advancing to the semifinals of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III South Tournament. She helped recruit freshman Erin Noonan, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III New York Region Rookie of the Year.
In 2007, Gardikas’ first season as an assistant coach, the Violets went 33-7 and qualified for their fifth straight NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship. They also won their fourth consecutive New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association title.
Before joining the NYU coaching staff, Gardikas was a three-year member of the Violets’ volleyball team (2003-05) and an integral part of the Violets’ rise to national prominence. The Violets advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen all three years of her career, reached the Final Four twice (2003, 2004), and finished as national runner-up in 2003.
Gardikas earned AVCA Honorable Mention All-America honors and was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team in 2003. As a senior, she earned AVCA Third Team All-America honors and was voted CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Second Team Academic All-American. A two-time team captain who set the NYU single-season record with 115 service aces in 2005, Gardikas was a First Team All-UAA selection in 2003 and a Second Team honoree in both 2004 and 2005.
Prior to enrolling at NYU, Gardikas, a native of Huntington Beach, CA, played one season at California Community College, where she earned First Team All-Sunset League honors.
A 2006 graduate with a degree in marketing from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, Gardikas also works as an assistant equipment manager at the University’s Palladium Athletic Facility. She resides in Manhattan.
