CHATTANOOGA --- The Chattanooga indoor volleyball program welcomed its newest staff member on Thursday, with head coach & director of volleyball Julie Torbett Thomas announcing the hiring of Bella Borgiotti to the team's coaching staff.
Borgiotti brings 15 years of coaching experience with her onto the UTC staff, including stops at Louisiana Tech and Stevenson University. The Vienna, Virginia, native is set to take on an Assistant Coach role with Chattanooga's indoor program, while also holding the title of Recruiting Coordinator for the Mocs.
"I played for Coach T back in the day and she taught me a lot about the game and gave me my foundation for coaching and leadership," Borgiotti said. "I learned how to push myself athletically and mentally in a way that would not have been possible without her. In every program I have been a part of since playing for her, I instill aspects of the team culture and philosophy that I learned at ECU."
"I am excited to learn more about her coaching style and how it has evolved over the years, and I look forward to gaining insight on how she creates such resilient athletes. I can't wait to be a part of her system and I'm excited to be a part of the future of Chattanooga volleyball."
"I am so proud to have a former player on my staff this season," Coach Torbett Thomas said. "Bella was a phenomenal setter at East Carolina and UNCW. She is a proven winner and led her team to an NCAA appearance."
"She will help run the offense and be our recruiting coordinator, and I have complete confidence in Bella that she will help lead our program to new heights."
Prior to joining the Mocs staff, Borgiotti served several months as Associate Head Coach & Recruiting Coordinator for the New College of Florida's indoor and beach volleyball programs. While there this past spring and summer, Borgiotti assisted in building two entirely new programs from scratch, ultimately constructing a 27-person indoor team and nine-person beach roster in that time.
Before her brief stint at NCF, Borgiotti served as an Assistant Coach for the Louisiana Tech indoor volleyball program during the 2023 season. While there, Borgiotti helped guide freshman setter Grace Krohn to earn Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors.
Borgiotti got her first collegiate coaching gig a year prior at Stevenson University (Md.), where she was a volunteer assistant for the women's and men's beach programs, as well as the women's indoor team. While at Stevenson, the Mustangs' indoor team finished with a 25-6 record under Borgiotti with the team receiving a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament to close out the year.
A total of four Mustangs would receive MAC Commonwealth All-Conference honors that year, including outside hitter Shannon Baily earning an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention nod.
Stevenson's women's beach volleyball team was equally as impressive under Borgiotti, with the Mustangs finishing 26-7 on the year. The Mustangs ultimately finished in third place at the AVCA Small College Beach Volleyball Championships.
During and prior to her time with the Mustangs, Borgiotti gained experience coaching a variety of junior programs around the country. This included head coaching the Virginia Juniors and Columbia Volleyball Academy's 17s teams, as well as serving as a club coach in the Florida, North Carolina and CHRVA regions, with multiple USAV qualifications throughout that time.
A setter in her playing days, Borgiotti was a four-year letterwinner in indoor volleyball having played two seasons at East Carolina from 2013-14 before transferring to UNCW from 2015-16 to close out her playing career. Additionally, Borgiotti played a pair of beach volleyball seasons for the Seahawks.
As a player, Borgiotti was able to help guide UNCW to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in indoor volleyball during the 2015 season, with the Seahawks capturing the Colonial Athletic Association Conference Tournament crown and the automatic bid that came with it.
Borgiotti is a 2017 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where she received her degree in Sociology. Borgiotti comes from a big volleyball family, with her parents having played and met through volleyball. Her sister, Giovanna, played indoor and beach volleyball at FGCU (2016-21).
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