NEWS: Kaly Soro named head assistant coach of Gee-Gees women’s volleyball

Gee-Gees women's volleyball is proud to announce that Kaly Soro, a Gee-Gees alumna and current assistant coach, has been appointed to the role of head assistant coach of the program. 

Soro joined the coaching staff last season, while also working for Varsity Athletics as the High Performance Coordinator for Gee-Gees Competitive Sport Clubs. In her new role, Soro will be with the volleyball program full-time, with a particular focus on wing player development, first year player transition, and team defense. The role is also key in assisting overall program operations throughout the year.

"I'm feeling really good about sliding over to the assistant coaching job," said Soro. "I think Christina has done a fantastic job of tailoring the job to her strengths and knowledge, and I am looking forward to doing the same thing. Given Lionel's 30-plus years of experience, I also know that I will be learning a lot about coaching and its structure at uOttawa. It's nice to be able to commit to coaching a sport that I have loved for so long."

Christina Grail, who previously held the role for three seasons, is now embarking on a career change that will see her become a Counselor Network Administrative Officer with the federal government. Despite this next step, Grail will remain involved with the program with a continued focus on setter development and team offense in a consulting and advisory role.

"We are so fortunate to have had Christina's full time involvement and impact on our program over the last 3-4 years," said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods. "She has expanded our support program for student-athletes and really formalized the first-year athlete transition process to university life and sport." 

"Christina has created an amazing environment for setter development and we are excited that she will be able to remain with us in a consulting and advisory role while she purses a new career with the federal government," he added.

"Our good fortune has also continued as Kaly Soro was available to consider taking on our Head Assistant Coach role," said Woods. "Kaly brings such passion and excitement to everything she does, and her technical knowledge as well as invaluable playing experience are really helping her develop quickly into a fantastic, young, professional coach. Our players and staff alike are looking forward to having Kaly's influence and guidance on a daily basis; we are in good hands."

Soro, who is a native of Ottawa, played five seasons for the Gee-Gees from 2013-18. She was named an OUA Second Team All-Star in 2015-16 and was named to the OUA All-Rookie Team in 2013-14. 

"I am extremely grateful that uOttawa is one of the only universities that have full-time assistant coaches, so I am really proud to continue being a Gee-Gee after my student-athlete career," Soro continued. "Regardless of what happens in terms of season for 2020-21, I am excited about the future of this current team and I'm really looking forward to contributing to the programs success in my own way."