Romana Redondo Kriskova has officially been named head coach for Idaho Vandals Volleyball team. Kriskova led the team this season as the interim head coach, ending the season with a 1-26, 0-16 record.
She took over for former Head Coach Chris Gonzalez who she was an assistant coach to in the 2023-24 season. Gonzalez resigned from his position in May of 2024 after he was investigated for allegations of abusing players and staff.
Kriskova was honored to take over the leadership role for the team.
“Obviously, I’m very grateful for the opportunity and eager to start this new chapter” Kriskova said.
Although technically this will be her second season as the head coach, she considers this upcoming year to be the first for her and she’s very excited to take charge of the team and be responsible for all the new recruits that will be joining the team for the upcoming season.
“They are going to help us to create a culture we are trying to build here so definitely excited about the new chapter,” Kriskova said.
So far for the upcoming season, Kriskova does not necessarily have a goal on where she hopes the team will finish.
“Our first main focus is the gym culture, the work ethic, the competitiveness and the discipline. All of these things that add up then at some point will lead us to better results,” Kriskova said.
Her current focus is creating the gym culture as she has both returning players and players new to the program. She wants to create an “established base” and keep building from there.
The Vandals will see six girls return next year, all of whom are international players. Natalia Wielgus, Chiara Gennari, Madu Fontes, Ada Isik, Ceren Sert and Zuzanna Wieczorek will all be coming back for next season. UI also currently has three new players on the roster, all from inside the U.S. However, there will be more to come as Kriskova looks towards more recruits coming during the summer and continuing to build for the future.
Kriskova talked about team chemistry and how every team is different. She stated that when recruiting, they look at players’ personalities as well as their skills.
“We’re not only looking at them as players or students. We are looking at them as people and all the characters they are bringing, trying to align with the culture we are trying to build here,” Kriskova said.
Kriskova is ready for the new adventure to begin and to move on from the past as the team undergoes rebuilding.
“The characters we have in the gym, the personalities we have, are going to be huge for the program. The new blood, new players, will make it easier for us to move on and create this new culture,” Kriskova said.
She complimented the returning players who are welcoming the new recruits and the new players who are already doing a great job as well.
Kriskova is looking forward to getting things started with the new team. The team plans to compete in some spring games as well as summer camps. They also plan to connect with the community by volunteering. The players keeping up the great work they are doing in school is also something Kriskova believes is important.
“We are trying to focus on all different aspects so that we can progress not only on the court, but in all areas that will help us to build a program and bring people to come watch our games in the Memorial Gym,” Kriskova said.
UI is also keeping Ben Kasun as the assistant coach for the upcoming season. This will be his second season in the role. He called the official hiring of Kriskova the right and natural move and something he had been expecting.
Kasun also commended Kriskova on the great work of, “leading the team into this new era of Idaho volleyball.”
“We can officially move forward with things. We can really make some stronger and better moves now that we’re a little bit more solidified,” Kasun said.
Kriskova and Kasun led the team together for the first time last season and although the result of a 1-26 regular season is not great, Kasun said, “The growth and improvement that we’ve made, establishing our culture, work ethic, these important things; we’re really seeing them translate now into our spring season. We know what we did this past fall is the right way to be moving about things and is setting us up for a good future.”
Kasun is excited to begin his second season with the Vandals.
“It’s nice to have a little more time to get ready for the season. I’m really excited to see how our new players are going to work into the team and the chemistry and higher ceiling that we’re going to have for this team,” Kasun said.
Kasun believes this team will be a much quicker and more athletic team.
“I think the players that we’re bringing in may not be the tallest players, but they’re fast, they’re strong and they’re good volleyball players. So, I think we’re going to play to those strengths and be a pretty fast and fun team to watch,” Kasun said.
Big Sky events will continue to stream on ESPN+ for at least the next five years. Kriskova also hopes students in Moscow head to the Memorial Gym on campus to support the volleyball team next fall.
You can reach Jackson Hamelund at [email protected].