Sarah Martinez enters her first season with Tarleton State Volleyball in 2026, as the Texans announced her hiring as assistant coach on Feb. 18, 2026.
Martinez joins Tarleton State from Austin Peay, where she was a graduate assistant coach. In her lone season with the Governors, she provided feedback for ball control players, assisted with first contact coaching and scouting, assisted with recruiting, assisted with defensive training and strategy, plus assisted in creating scouting reports with an emphasis on defense and serve receive.
“I am extremely excited to have Sarah join this staff,” said head coach Jazmyne Johnson at the time of her hiring. “She is vibrant and eager to help Tarleton State Volleyball continue grow into the right direction. Sarah had a successful collegiate career at the D1 level and has been a part of some high-level volleyball as both a player and coach. I am confident Sara will build lasting relationships with our student-athletes and the Stephenville community.”
Martinez played three years at Arkansas State, earning prestigious honors with the Red Wolves. In her final playing season in 2024, Martinez was named the Sun Belt Conference Libero of the Year and First Team All-SBC, along with a Sun Belt All-Tournament Team nod and three SBC Defensive Player of the Week awards. She collected 623 digs in 2024, the most in the SBC and seventh most nationally. Arkansas State went 28-6 overall and 14-2 in SBC play that season, winning the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship, advancing to the SBC Tournament title match and National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
“I’m truly blessed to be joining Tarleton State and to be part of a program with such a clear vision for growth and excellence,” Martinez said at the time of her hiring. “The culture, vision, and leadership are inspiring. Jaz and Alleah [Stamatis] are building something special, and I’m honored to be on staff. I’m excited to get to work, invest in our student-athletes, and support the continued growth of Tarleton State Volleyball.”
Martinez, a Flower Mound, Texas, native, played her first two collegiate seasons at Houston. She earned her master’s degree in Health and Human Performance in 2025 at Austin Peay and her undergraduate degree in Psychology in 2024 at Arkansas State.
