Diego Castaneda - Volleyball Coach

Diego Castaneda

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
diego@athletics.msstate.edu

A well-known figure on the volleyball coaching circuit who has had stops in the Big 12, ACC and SEC, Diego Castaneda joined the Maroon and White on April 26, 2017 as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Castaneda made his way to Starkville via Athens, Ga., where he spent the 2016 season as an assistant with the Georgia Bulldogs.

“I am very excited and extremely grateful for this opportunity to join the Mississippi State Athletic Department,” Castaneda said. “I would like to thank Director of Athletics John Cohen, Scott Wetherbee, Jared Benko and head coach David McFatrich for giving me the chance to contribute to the success and growth of the volleyball program. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves, hit the ground running, build amazing relationships with the student-athletes and recruits, and help take the program to new heights.”

Prior to joining UGA’s staff, Castaneda spent three years at Wake Forest, where worked primarily with the middle blockers and liberos along. Castaneda was instrumental in a trio of Demon Deacons earning ACC honors while signing numerous top 150 recruits throughout his tenure. Castaneda also stayed heavily involved in the Winston-Salem volleyball community, taking the role of head coach of the Deacon Volleyball Academy.

Castaneda’s first assistant coaching position came at North Texas, where he helped the team achieve a 43-29 record over two seasons. Castaneda’s time culminated with a spectacular 2012 season, as the Mean Green tied the school record with 26 wins and advanced to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship game for the first time in the program's history.

He also had a hand in a number of star individuals at UNT. Castaneda aided with the development of middle blocker Courtney Windham, who earned all-conference first-team honors and finished the year as one of the nations top blockers, earning a spot in the top 15 for total blocks nationally. Under his guidance, three of the Mean Green student-athletes garnered conference awards, including one of the nation’s best attackers, Carnae Dillard, being named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year in 2012.

Prior to his time in Denton, Castaneda rose through the ranks of the Baylor program throughout six seasons with the Bears. During his stints as a team manager, graduate assistant coach and director of volleyball operations, he was responsible for Baylor's video exchange, Data Volley, facilities preparation and many other facets of the program's day-to-day operations. As the program's graduate assistant coach, he helped the Bears advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2009.

Adding to his volleyball coaching experience, Castaneda has also been an assistant coach for Team North Texas and Team Carolina Flight of the USA Premier Volleyball League, a regional indoor pro league sanctioned by USA Volleyball. Along with his participation on the PVL, Castaneda served as an assistant for the USA A2 program. He has completed the levels I and II of the Coaches Accreditation Program of USA Volleyball and is a certified Data Volley instructor.

A native of Bogota, Colombia, Castaneda earned both his bachelor’s (2008) and master’s (2010) degrees from Baylor University.

“Diego’s strengths are his strong recruiting ties, his experience in the Big 12 and ACC, and his great work ethic,” McFatrich said. “He has a “rolls up his sleeves and gets to work” attitude and is very well organized. On the court, he will help us in many areas, but will focus mainly on our serve-pass game.”