MEADVILLE, Pa. - Allegheny head softball coach Beth Curtiss has announced the hiring of Jessica Zavolta as the team's assistant coach.
 
A 2018 Allegheny graduate, Zavolta returns to her alma mater after enjoying a strong four-year playing career under Curtiss. She replaces another Allegheny grad, Stephanie Fort '13, who recently accepted the head coach position at Thiel College after a three-year stint on Curtiss' staff.
 
"I am so happy and proud to have Jessica back this year to help guide this fantastic group of women," Curtiss said. "She was a large part of our success last year, and has a great deal of softball knowledge to share with our team. It is very rewarding to have another former player come back and want to continue to be a part of the Gator softball program."
 
Zavolta was a four-year starter and three-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection during her Allegheny career. Splitting time between catcher and shortstop, she started 113 games and finished with a .297 career batting average, totaling 97 hits, 18 doubles, four home runs, and 56 RBIs.
 
After totaling 38 hits and 18 RBIs during her freshman and sophomore campaigns, Zavolta batted .322 (29-for-90) with 14 runs scored and a team-best .430 on-base percentage in 2017, en-route to Second Team All-NCAC laurels.  She then turned in her finest season as a senior, batting .368 and leading the Gators in home runs (4), RBIs (32), and slugging percentage (.479). A team captain, she was she was a First Team All-NCAC pick and helped lead the Gators to an appearance in the NCAC Championship Tournament.  
 
Zavolta previously coached at the youth club level for six years, as an assistant coach for Team Impact, where she specialized in working with pitchers and catchers from 2008-14.
 
A native of Trafford, Pennsylvania, Zavolta graduated in May 2018 with a degree in psychology, and a minor in Global Health Studies.