Ijeoma Moronu Alstrup was named Abilene Christian University’s head volleyball coach on July 5, 2023 after a four-year stint as a head coach for professional volleyball in Denmark. She returned to ACU after serving as an assistant coach from 2012-15 following a four-year playing career with the Wildcats from 2007-10.
The Wildcats picked up 10 wins in 2024, good for their most victories in a two-year period since the 2017 and 2018 campaigns totaled 26 wins. ACU swept the Wildcat Classic versus Alabama A&M and Oral Roberts and returned to the Western Athletic Conference Tournament for the second year in a row. The Wildcats shined on defense, ranking in the WAC's top three in kills, assists and digs allowed. Senior outside hitter and right side Bryley Steinhilber was named to the All-WAC Second Team after ranking eighth in the conference with 3.01 kills per set and 3.45 points per set. Middle blocker Avery Thaler received a spot on the All-Freshman Team in her first season on campus.
In her first season as ACU's head coach, Moronu Alstrup led the Wildcats to 11 wins, including a 3-1 victory over Texas Tech for the program's first win over a power conference opponent since 2013. She guided the team to a three-match sweep of the ACU Tournament and six WAC wins to qualify for the WAC Tournament for the first time in two years. The Wildcats logged 1,400 kills and 12.39 kills per set, the team's second-most as a Division I program. ACU's 4,059 attack attempts and .179 attack percentage were good for fourth-most in the DI era, while its 1,287 assists and 11.39 assists per set were good for third-most. The Wildcats tallied 1,695 digs, the program's third-most since 2013. Steinhilber and junior setter Madeline Guffy received votes to the All-WAC Team as ACU led the conference in total service aces (109) and total digs (968). The Wildcats logged a 3.7 grade point average and six players averaged a 4.0 to finish the fall semester as eight players landed on the Academic All-WAC Team.
ACU has shined in serving under Moronu Alstrup's leadership, recording its most service aces in a two-year stretch versus DI competition. The Wildcats' 190 service aces and 1.68 aces per set in 2023 are their most as a DI program, with their 140 in 2024 good for second. ACU recorded 53 solo blocks in 2023, the second-most by a Wildcat Division I program, with 1,751.5 points and 15.50 points per set, its third-most in a season.
Before beginning her tenure at the helm of ACU, Moronu Alstrup began her head coaching career in 2019 at Farum Holte Volley in Copenhagen, where she served as the head coach for the First Division women’s team. In 2022, she became the co-head volleyball coach at Gentofte Volley. Moronu Alstrup's head coaching accolades while abroad include two bronze medal league finishes and a Danish U21 Championship in 2022.
Prior to Moronu Alstrup’s time as a head coach, she earned professional experience both on and off the court. She served as an assistant coach at ACU from 2012 to 2015 after playing professionally abroad in Europe from 2011-12 and from 2015-19. Moronu Alstrup competed for the likes of Olympia Neopolis Cyprus, VC Tirol Austria, KA Iceland, Lindesberg Sweden and Lyngby Volley Denmark.
Before hitting the professional ranks, the Fort Worth, Texas native played setter for ACU from 2007 to 2010, building a 97-25 record and a 42-10 mark in Lone Star Conference play with the Wildcats. She earned All-LSC honors each season, including Second Team recognition in her first two years before receiving First Team accolades as a junior and senior. Moronu Alstrup was named the LSC Setter of the Year to wrap up her career in 2010 after leading ACU to its second consecutive runner-up finish in the conference's regular season. She earned a spot on the LSC All-Tournament Team in her final three seasons, with the Wildcats reaching the championship in 2008 and 2009. Moronu Alstrup was named to he LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2008 and 2009 before landing on the LSC All-Academic Team in 2010.
Moronu Alstrup finished her undergraduate career at Abilene Christian in December 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and kinesiology and a minor in business administration. She went on to earn a master’s degree in organizational development from ACU in December 2016.
The former Ijeoma Moronu and her husband, Christopher, have two children, Charlie and Jude. Christopher is an assistant volleyball coach for the Wildcats.
