Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Photo: Lafayette College Athletics

Virginia women’s basketball head coach Aaron Roussell announced Friday the addition of Kia Damon-Olson to his staff as an assistant coach.

“Kia brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our staff,” Roussell said.

“Her nine years as a head coach, along with her successful Power Four recruiting experience make her a perfect fit to round out our stable of assistant coaches. I have coached against Kia many times and have always admired how her teams played and how well prepared they were. This has proven to be a fun and hard-working staff already and Kia is going to be a perfect addition to make us even stronger.”

Damon-Olson most recently served as head coach at Lafayette for nine seasons from 2017-2026. During her time at Lafayette, Damon-Olson developed 10 All-Patriot League selections including one Player of the Year and two Defensive Player of the Year honors. She also coached six players to all-rookie selections.

Prior to Lafayette, Damon-Olson spent one season at Cincinnati (2016-17) where she helped the Bearcats sign a pair of top-100 recruits. Before her arrival at Cincinnati, she spent nine seasons at Penn State where she worked with the Nittany Lion offense and served as the team’s recruiting coordinator while signing four top-20 recruiting classes.

During her time at Penn State, Damon-Olson helped guide the Nittany Lions to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including two Sweet Sixteen runs, while also capturing three consecutive Big Ten regular season titles (2012–2014). She also played a pivotal role in developing WNBA-caliber talent, including Tyra Grant and Kam Gissendanner.

Damon-Olson also made stops as an assistant at UMass (2002-07), Fairleigh Dickinson (1999-02), and Green Bay (1997-99).

Prior to her coaching career, Damon-Olson played four seasons at Millersville (1994-97) where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication in 1997. She earned her master’s degree in Corporate Communication from Fairleigh Dickinson in 2006.

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