Northern State University Athletics

Holly Vancura enters her fifth season as a full-time assistant in the fall of 2023. Vancura is no stranger to the squad as she is a Northern State volleyball alumni and served as the team's graduate assistant coach in 2018. She is the recruiting/defensive coordinator for the Wolves, while also working with the middle hitters.

In the fall of 2022, the Wolves went 18-11 overall and 13-7 in the league, finishing seventh in the Northern Sun. Three Wolves tallied NSIC All-Conference honors and Sally Gaul concluded her Northern State career as an AVCA All-America honorable mention team member. 

Northern posted an 18-11 mark in 2021, finishing the year in fifth in the NSIC standings, holding a 13-7 league record. Three Wolves were named to the NSIC All-Conference teams in Sally Gaul (first team), Peyton Ellingson (second team), and Natalia Szybinska (second team). 
 
The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2019 brought back-to-back NSIC Championships and a third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament for Wolvs volleyball. Northern went 25-6 on the year and 17-3 in the league. Seven Wolves were named to the NSIC All-Conference teams and three earned AVCA All-America status. 

In her first season as a graduate assistant, the Wolves tallied a 26-5 record overall and 17-3 mark in the NSIC. Northern won the first NSIC Conference Championship in program history and advanced to the NCAA Central Region Tournament for the second straight season. In addition, five Wolves were named to the all-conference teams, while three earned All-American accolades.
 
As a graduate assistant, she worked primarily with the defensive specialists and liberoes, handling floor defense for the program. Vancura spent the summer of 2018 working as a club volleyball coach for Aberdeen based, Kusler Klinics.
 
She appeared in 64 matches for the Wolves over her 4-year career. Vancura tallied 577 kills and 769 digs, playing a variety of positions. The Barnesville, Minnesota native was a member of the 2017 team, which reached the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Vancura received her bachelor of art in history from Northern State in May of 2018 and is currently working on her master's degree in Sport Performance and Leadership. She resides in Aberdeen with her husband, Northern State assistant football coach Jake Iery, and their dogs Whiskey and Bourbon.