Karli Salazar, an NMHU alum, enters her fourth season as the assistant volleyball coach at New Mexico Highlands.

Salazar helped the Cowgirls in 2017 to the program's best season in a dozen years as they went 10-13, including 7-11 in RMAC play (the most regular-season and conference wins since 2005).

Salazar came to NMHU after spending a year teaching at El Camino Real Academy. Prior to that, she served in many roles for the Lady Dons of West Las Vegas High School volleyball program in 2013 and 2014. In 2014 she led the Lady Dons to a 18-5 record and a District 2-4A title, the first for the program in a decade. She was named the District 2 4A Coach of the Year in 2014.
 
Volleyball is second nature in the Salazar family. Her mother Eva was a volleyball player for the Cowgirls in the late 1980s. Eva met her eventual husband Damon on the court as he was a part of the male practice team that played against the Cowgirls. After graduation, Eva and Damon played in co-ed leagues in Espanola and Damon found himself as the head coach of a club volleyball team. In 2009, Damon took over the Espanola Valley High School team, in which Salazar was a member of. Salazar’s youngster sister, Kristi, played at New Mexico State before playing one season at New Mexico Highlands. Kristi now coaches for her father at Espanola Valley High School.
 
Salazar graduated from New Mexico Highlands in 2015 with a degree in elementary education and a minor in history. The Salazar family is no stranger to New Mexico Highlands as Karli’s mother, father, brother and sister have earned degrees from New Mexico Highlands.