Sarah Petkovic Promoted to Volleyball Chief of Staff
August 05, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
Petkovic, a UofL and USA National Team alumna, has been director of operations for the Cards for 14 years.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Director of Operations Sarah Drury Petkovic has been promoted to Chief of Staff for the University of Louisville volleyball team according to head coach Dan Meske.
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"As far as I know, Sarah is the first Chief of Staff in NCAA Volleyball—and that honor is more than deserved," said Meske. "She's been keeping the wheels turning on this program since long before I got here, and I'm excited she'll continue to do just that. Sarah is truly the heartbeat of our program, quietly leading in ways that often go unnoticed but are absolutely essential to everything we do."
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In her new role as chief of staff, Petkovic will focus on the development of current student-athletes, including personal and player development as well as leadership skills. A native of Louisville and an alumna of UofL, she will use her connections to strengthen the profile of Cardinal volleyball by collaborating with coaches, alumni, as well as the local and national volleyball community. . In addition, she will manage the program's revenue share helm alumni and donor relations for the program as well as assume the role of general manager.
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Petkovic, a former standout volleyball player for the Cardinals and a USA National Team member, spent the last 14 years as the director of operations for UofL.
She began her career as a Cardinal as a walk-on student-athlete. Â She not only earned an athletic scholarship her last two years but went on to become a member of the USA National Team for five years, becoming UofL's Cinderella story.
On the court, she began as a defensive specialist prior to the implementation of the libero position. She was widely regarded as the best passers and defensive players in the league. She was a team captain and set the school's single season dig record with 534. She also set the school record for digs in a match with 39 versus Cincinnati. She was a member of the 2002 All-Midwest Region team and the 2002 All-C-USA First Team. She was able to balance volleyball with athletics and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in Management while being a fixture on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. Â The Louisville native is a graduate of Pleasure Ridge Park High School where she lettered in volleyball, basketball and track.
After Louisville, Sarah continued her playing career as a member of the USA National Volleyball Team from 2003-2008. While there, she was named captain in 2007 and won a gold medal in the 2005 NORCECA Continental Championship and a silver medal at the 2008 NORCECA Championship. In 2006, she was ranked fourth in the world as a libero at the World Championships. She also received the distinction of being named an alternate for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
After her five year run with the National Team, she returned to the Louisville area and began giving private lessons while acting as assistant coach for Assumption High School.
 In 2009, she also was named head coach at the Kentucky Indiana Volleyball Academy and  joined Indiana University Southeast as an assistant volleyball coach for her sister, former head coach Lesley Prather.
She and her husband, Sash, who is a Louisville firefighter, have two daughters, Hyla and Alexana as well as a son, Beckett.Â
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"As far as I know, Sarah is the first Chief of Staff in NCAA Volleyball—and that honor is more than deserved," said Meske. "She's been keeping the wheels turning on this program since long before I got here, and I'm excited she'll continue to do just that. Sarah is truly the heartbeat of our program, quietly leading in ways that often go unnoticed but are absolutely essential to everything we do."
Â
In her new role as chief of staff, Petkovic will focus on the development of current student-athletes, including personal and player development as well as leadership skills. A native of Louisville and an alumna of UofL, she will use her connections to strengthen the profile of Cardinal volleyball by collaborating with coaches, alumni, as well as the local and national volleyball community. . In addition, she will manage the program's revenue share helm alumni and donor relations for the program as well as assume the role of general manager.
Â
Petkovic, a former standout volleyball player for the Cardinals and a USA National Team member, spent the last 14 years as the director of operations for UofL.
She began her career as a Cardinal as a walk-on student-athlete. Â She not only earned an athletic scholarship her last two years but went on to become a member of the USA National Team for five years, becoming UofL's Cinderella story.
On the court, she began as a defensive specialist prior to the implementation of the libero position. She was widely regarded as the best passers and defensive players in the league. She was a team captain and set the school's single season dig record with 534. She also set the school record for digs in a match with 39 versus Cincinnati. She was a member of the 2002 All-Midwest Region team and the 2002 All-C-USA First Team. She was able to balance volleyball with athletics and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in Management while being a fixture on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. Â The Louisville native is a graduate of Pleasure Ridge Park High School where she lettered in volleyball, basketball and track.
After Louisville, Sarah continued her playing career as a member of the USA National Volleyball Team from 2003-2008. While there, she was named captain in 2007 and won a gold medal in the 2005 NORCECA Continental Championship and a silver medal at the 2008 NORCECA Championship. In 2006, she was ranked fourth in the world as a libero at the World Championships. She also received the distinction of being named an alternate for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
After her five year run with the National Team, she returned to the Louisville area and began giving private lessons while acting as assistant coach for Assumption High School.
 In 2009, she also was named head coach at the Kentucky Indiana Volleyball Academy and  joined Indiana University Southeast as an assistant volleyball coach for her sister, former head coach Lesley Prather.
She and her husband, Sash, who is a Louisville firefighter, have two daughters, Hyla and Alexana as well as a son, Beckett.Â
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