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BOCA RATON, Fla. – With a heavy heart, Florida Atlantic University Athletics announces the passing of FAU head beach volleyball coach Capri Grotowski at the age of 38.
“The FAU family has suffered a terrible loss with the passing of Coach Grotowski. We are grateful for Capri’s service to the university and all the lives she influenced throughout her life and career,” said FAU President John Kelly. “Our thoughts are with the Grotowski family at this difficult time.”
Grotowski, formerly Capri Hilgendorf, is a south Florida native, a graduate of Lake Worth High School and Keiser University. She was named FAU’s head beach volleyball coach in the summer of 2014 and quickly built program that was perennially ranked in the Top 25.
“Capri was an incredible coach, but she was an even better person,” said FAU Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White. “We will forever be grateful for the contributions she made to FAU Athletics, building the beach volleyball program into a national contender and positively impacting the lives of our student-athletes over the past eight years. Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve, Cayd, Kayh and the entire family.”
The Owls’ best season to date was Grotowski’s last. The Sandy Owls completed a historic 2022 season, finishing the year with a program-record 23 wins and the program’s first NCAA Championship appearance. As the No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Owls knocked off ninth-seeded Stanford in the opening round, 3-0, marking the team’s first NCAA Tournament win. FAU advanced to the Elite Eight and finished the season best-ever national ranking, coming in at No. 8 in the AVCA and CVBV national polls.
Grotowski celebrated her 100th career win on April 9, 2021, her 37th birthday, reaching the milestone with a 3-2 victory over North Florida. Her all-time coaching record stands at 128-86. Under Grotowski, Erica Brok and Mackenzie Morris earned AVCA First Team All-America status, All-CCSA and AVCA Top Flight honors. Brok/Morris, already the winningest pair in team history, moved to first and second all-time, respectively in FAU individuals wins in 2021. The most decorated FAU beach duo continued the legacy of FAU beach volleyball with Brok becoming the first player to represent FAU on the USA National team at season’s end and Morris was recognized as the University’s top-female student-athlete at the 2022 FAU Honors Convocation.
Grotowski had a successful indoor volleyball career in high school, as a four-time Team MVP for Lake Worth, and later at Keiser, where she was a three-time All-Florida Sun Conference selection. She moved to beach volleyball in 2006, where she played in 34 ATP events between 2006-13, tallying more than 25 wins and three top10 finishes. The beach is where she met and later married Steve Grotowski, a fellow professional beach volleyball player and 2012 sand volleyball Olympian.
Grotowski (April 9, 1984 – June 25, 2022) is survived by: husband and FAU assistant coach Steve Grotowksi; son Cayd and daughter Kayh.
Capri Grotowski
