Kristen Blackburn was named the head coach of the Union volleyball in February 2023. This follows the 2022 season as the assistant coach, the 2020 and 2021 seasons as a volunteer assistant, and a four-year playing career for the Lady Bulldogs.
Blackburn (Goggin) played for four years participating in 370 sets from 2016-2019. She was a server specialist, recording 116 aces in her career, including a career-high 50 in 2017. She spent most of her career as a defensive specialist and libero, recording 448 career digs, including a career-best 197 in 2017. Blackburn also tacked on 52 kills and 30 assists in her career.
Over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Blackburn spent valuable time as a volunteer assistant. She was also a graduate assistant for Union, working in athletic administration for the 2021-22 school year.
In 2020, Blackburn graduated from Union with a degree in athletic training. She is near completion of her Master's in Education with a concentration in sports management degree from Union.
Blackburn is from Yucaipa, California where she graduated from Aquinas High school in 2016. During her high school career, she played for several club volleyball championship teams and was named MVP and all-league of her high school team.
On April 17, 2022, she married Sean Blackburn, the current women's basketball assistant coach at Union. She is the daughter of Walt and Colleen Goggin.