Michelle “Shelly” Stumpff joined the Coyote volleyball coaching staff ahead of the 2016 season. She served one year as a graduate assistant before being promoted to assistant coach ahead of the fall of 2017.
Stumpff hails from Iowa City, Iowa, and had a decorated collegiate volleyball career at Wingate University in Wingate, N.C. In four seasons from 2012-15, Stumpff led the Bulldogs to a 125-14 record with four conference titles, four NCAA tournament appearances, and three trips to the Elite Eight. Stumpff was named SAC and Southeast Region Freshman of the Year in 2012 and was SAC Player of the Year as a senior in 2015.
Stumpff finished her career with 1,458 kills – third-most in program history – and a program-record 219 aces along with more than 1,200 digs and nearly 200 blocks. She received All-America honorable mention by the AVCA and was an AVCA Academic All-American during her senior season. Stumpff graduated from Wingate with a degree in secondary math education and earned a master's degree at USD in interdisciplinary studies.
Stumpff served on the Coyotes' staff during the 2016 season when USD won its first Summit League regular season championship. South Dakota won a program-record 25 matches and was 10-1 inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. The team advanced to the championship game of the Summit League Tournament.
Her third season in 2018 saw South Dakota down Denver to win the Summit League Tournament title and earn a NCAA Tournament berth for the first-time in the Division I era.
The 2019 season saw the program accomplish a school-record 31 wins, set a Summit League record for winning percentage (.912), win a Summit League regular season title and advance to the title match of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
The 2020 season, despite being pushed back from the fall to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saw the Coyotes capture the Summit League tournament title and earn their second NCAA tourney berth in the past three seasons.
The 2021 season saw the Coyote caprure a second-straight Summit League tournament title and the team's third NCAA tourney berth in the past four seasons.
In her six seasons with the Coyotes, Stumpff has coached 14 all-Summit League honorees. One of those includes Brittany Jessen who earned the title of USD all-time assists leader. Jessen ended her career with 4,826 assists, fourth most in Summit League history.
