Northern Colorado volleyball has announced the retirement of Associate Head Coach Pi’i Aiu. Aiu joined the program before the 2019 season and was a key part of what became one of the most successful periods in team history. During his time with the Bears, Northern Colorado won seven championships, including the recent Big Sky Tournament title where they defeated the Bengals to claim their eighth tournament championship.
Aiu was promoted to Associate Head Coach in January 2020. He brought significant experience that contributed to making Northern Colorado a strong competitor within its conference. Under his guidance, several players earned All-Conference and All-Tournament honors.
“Pi’i has been invaluable in his seven years here,” said head coach Lyndsey Oates. “His experience and wisdom brought us seven championships, which speaks for itself. He will be remembered for his calm demeanor, casual sense of humor, humility, and fatherly guidance to our players. He will be greatly missed, but we wish him and Holly all the best in retirement”.
Before joining Northern Colorado, Aiu spent 12 seasons as head coach at the University of Colorado. There, he became the winningest coach in program history with 199 career victories and recorded wins against over 45 nationally ranked teams. Aiu is a CU-Boulder alumnus who served as an assistant coach from 1989 to 1997 prior to becoming head coach.
After leaving Colorado and before arriving at Northern Colorado, Aiu coached club volleyball at The Diff in Brighton, Colorado, and also worked as a collegiate volleyball official.
Northern Colorado Athletics expressed gratitude for Aiu’s commitment and leadership throughout his tenure. His efforts have contributed to raising the level of success for the Bears’ volleyball program and set a high standard for future teams.
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