Roselidah Obunaga enters her eighth season leading the Savannah State University volleyball program in 2026, continuing a tenure that has produced some of the program's strongest results in recent history. Under Obunaga's leadership, Savannah State has steadily developed into a contender within the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
In 2025, the Lady Tigers continued their upward trajectory, setting a program record for victories for the second consecutive season with a 16-11 overall record. Savannah State also earned its second consecutive berth in the SIAC Women's Volleyball Championship, entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed from the East Division. The Lady Tigers advanced to the semifinal round for the second straight season before falling to Fort Valley State in a five-set thriller.
The 2025 campaign built upon a record-setting 2024 season in which Savannah State finished 15-9 overall, establishing what was then a program record for victories. The Lady Tigers finished second in the SIAC East Division and advanced to the semifinals of the SIAC Women's Volleyball Championship before falling to eventual conference champion Spring Hill.
The back-to-back record-setting seasons represented the continued growth of a program Obunaga has helped build since taking over as interim head coach in 2019.
In Savannah State's first season competing in the SIAC, Obunaga guided the Lady Tigers to six conference victories and a berth in the SIAC Championship as the No. 4 seed from the East Division. Savannah State finished the 2019 campaign 9-18 overall, a significant improvement from its 3-21 record the previous season. The nine victories were the program's most since Savannah State won 11 matches in 2009.
Following that turnaround, Obunaga was officially named Savannah State's head volleyball coach in February 2020.
After the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Obunaga guided the Lady Tigers back to the SIAC Championship in 2021. Savannah State finished 10-15 overall and 6-9 in conference play, recording its first double-digit-win season in more than a decade.
Prior to arriving at Savannah State, Obunaga spent two seasons at Montana State University-Northern. Her collegiate coaching career began as a graduate assistant at the University of Evansville before she served as a volunteer coach at Washington University in St. Louis.
In 2012, Obunaga joined the coaching staff at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, inheriting a program with just seven players. She helped rebuild the program and, by 2014, had added an eight-player junior varsity team while guiding the varsity squad to a 13-17 record.
The 13 victories represented the program's highest single-season win total since 2010. Stephens also finished 5-7 in the American Midwest Conference and earned a berth in the AMC Championship.
In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Obunaga has coached club volleyball programs in Indiana and throughout Missouri, including West Plains, St. Louis and Columbia. She has also volunteered with USA Volleyball High Performance and coached the Girls Future Select Team at the 2019 Continental Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
A native of Kakamega, Kenya, Obunaga brings extensive international playing experience to the Savannah State program. A two-time Olympian, she represented Kenya as a member of the Kenyan Women's National Volleyball Team at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. She also represented her country in multiple African championship competitions.
Affectionately known by her peers and players as "Coach Rose", Obunaga earned her bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in communication from Columbia College and later earned a master's degree in public service administration from the University of Evansville.
Obunaga is married to Dr. Philip Omunga, an associate professor of Political Science and Public Affairs and Immediate Past President of the Faculty Senate at Savannah State. The couple has a daughter, Yonne.
