Dianne grew up in Michigan on a lake ice skating, playing hockey, football, softball, boating, skiing, and fishing. She was the first female athlete from her county to receive a full scholarship in any sport. She played college volleyball at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. At 6'4", she was a starting middle blocker as a freshman, then switched to outside hitter her sophomore year becoming Co-Captain, Team MVP, and named 1st Team All-SEC Conference her junior and senior years. Dianne was inducted into the Tennessee Lady Vol Hall of Fame in 2007. After graduating with a B.S. in Marketing, Dianne went on to play several years professionally indoor. In 1989-1992 she played in Portland and Minneapolis US pro leagues. From 1992-1994 Dianne played pro indoor in Switzerland, then returned to the US to compete on the 4-Person Pro Beach Tour from 1994-1997 where she was Surprise Player of the Year in 1996 and her team won the League Championship in 1996 and 1997. She returned overseas and played a season in Belgium and then a season in Italy. Dianne began playing full time on the AVP Pro Beach Tour in 2000 after she had her first daughter, Avalon, and became one of the top 10 players in the US. She took a season off in 2004, when her daughter Devon was born, then continued playing AVP pro beach, consistently finishing in the top 8 overall with 2 tournament wins, 8 second place finishes, and 29 third-place finishes. Dianne also played on the FIVB World Tour, finishing her career with 2 bronze medals internationally. She retired from full-time competition in 2012.

Dianne still plays beach volleyball for fun. She enjoys exercising, walking her family dog, Amber, and spending time with family and friends. She is also a college volleyball recruiting advisor and enjoys helping young players fulfill their dreams of playing volleyball in college.

Dianne enjoys coaching young players and teaching them the fundamentals and nuances of the game. She wants the players on her teams to finish the season with a love for the sport of volleyball and to truly understand what it means to be a great teammate. She believes that discipline, physical and mental strength, strong work ethic, and working together in a team atmosphere are so important in volleyball. Also, showing you care about others around you (your coaches and teammates) and that all of this transfers directly to life as a whole. She believes every player on the team has a role and it can be fluid, always progressing and developing and that all players are needed and counted on for the team's success.

Dianne coached Varsity in 2011 and JV volleyball in 2014 at University City HS in San Diego. She has been coaching club volleyball at the 11-14s age groups from 2011 until the present, with her time at WAVE beginning in 2019.