Staff Directory

Kristi Tekavec

Title:
Assistant Coach
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KRISTI TEKAVEC is in her first season (2026-27) as an assistant coach for the Women of Troy. She is a two-time recipient—2023 and 2024—of the AVCA’s Thirty Under 30 award.

Tekavec comes to Troy after seven seasons at Florida Atlantic (2019-26). She served as the program’s assistant coach for six years and was promoted to associate head coach in October 2025.

Prior to her first coaching appointment, she played indoor volleyball and served as a team captain for the Owls (2013-17, redshirt in 2015) and was a Sandy Owl for the beach volleyball program in 2019.

With Tekavec on staff, FAU’s beach volleyball program produced four 20-win seasons, made three NCAA championship appearances (2022, ‘23, ‘25), won three conference titles (2021, ‘23, ’25), and achieved a program-best No. 8 national ranking in the AVCA coaches’ poll in 2022.

Tekavec helped guide the Owls to 22 wins in 2026, one shy of matching the program’s single season record set in 2022. In 2025, Florida Atlantic captured the Conference USA crown to earn the program’s third berth into the NCAA championship. Owls earned numerous awards including two AVCA All-America certificates, CUSA Pair of the Year, five All-CUSA selections, the CUSA Pair of the Tournament, and four CUSA All-Tournament team honors.

In 2022, Tekavec’s third with the Owls, FAU collected a school-record 23 wins and earned its first win at the NCAA championship to advance to the national quarterfinals. As the No. 8-seed, Florida Atlantic defeated ninth-seeded Stanford, 3-0, in the opening round and ended the season with its best ranking in school history at No. 8 in both the AVCA and CBVB national polls.

While at FAU, Tekavec helped coach four AVCA All-Americans: Erica Brok, Mackenzie Morris, Ashleigh Adams, and Marketa Svozilova. The Owls had four AVCA Top Flight selections, three CUSA Pairs of the Year, three CUSA Freshman of the Year selections, 18 All-CUSA first-team honorees, and 10 CUSA All-Freshman Team players. FAU also earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award twice (2023, ’25) and had two AVCA National Pair of the Week selections.

Tekavec is active on the AVP pro tour with a career-best fifth-place finish at the 2023 Waupaca Open event with partner Erika Brok. As a collegian, Tekavec played in 91 matches as an outside hitter for the FAU indoor women’s volleyball team. She totaled 719 kills, 265 digs, and 82 blocks in her career.

Tekavec’s personal coaching philosophy states that her mission is to build a championship culture where athlete development, leadership, and personal wellbeing are valued as much as competitive success. She prioritizes culture as the foundation of lasting achievement, and through purposeful mentorship and personalized development, strives to elevate every aspect of a program—creating not just winning teams, but transformative experiences. Her goal is to produce elite student-athletes, while shaping future leaders who make a meaningful impact in the world.

A native of Solon, Ohio, Tekavec graduated from Florida Atlantic with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and sociology in 2017 and received a master’s in higher education leadership in 2020.