Niagara University, N.Y.—Niagara women's basketball head coach Jada Pierce announced that Abby Vampatella has been named Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. 

Vampatella comes to Niagara from UNC Greensboro where she served as the Director of Recruiting and as an assistant coach for the Spartans the last two seasons. Prior to that she was the Director of Player Development in 2022 and a Graduate Manager in 2021 for the Spartans.

As the director of recruiting, Vampatella was crucial in recruiting efforts, helping to recruit and sign players like Nya Smith, who was the ROTY, 6th Player of the Year,and First Team All-Conference selection. The Spartans were the 2024-25 regular season and tournament SoCon Champions for the first time in 28 years and were 3rd in the country in scoring defense. She oversaw the implementation and usage of analytics, and enhanced recruiting efforts with running new events such as Underclassmen Day and the first Team Camp in Coach Patterson's time at UNCG. She also assisted in player development and scouting.

While at UNC Greensboro, Vampatella earned her Master's in Applied Arts and Sciences.

Vampatella graduated from Gordon College in Massachusetts in 2021, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a minor in history. She played basketball for the Fighting Scots and was the vice president for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

"I am extremely thankful to Coach Pierce and the rest of her staff for welcoming me into the Purple Eagles family," Vampatella said, "I love the values and mission of this program. They've seen continuous success in the MAAC and I'm excited to get started!"
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Coach Abby to our Purple Eagle Family!" Pierce said, "She is a true professional that leads with passion, high energy and student-athlete first mindset! Her recent conference championship and NCAA tournament experience will be a great addition to our program.Coach Abby will be an asset assisting on the court, assisting in our players overall development and in the Niagara University community."
 
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