Cottle grew up in Salt Lake City,[1] and attended Cottonwood High School.
[2] Cottle started at BYU, in 1977, where she played volleyball for coach Elaine Michaelis.
[1] That year, the team earned an invitation to the 1977 AIAW National Large College Volleyball Championship, held in Provo, Utah.
[2] In her first year at Utah State, she helped lead the team to the 1978 AIAW National Volleyball Championship.
[8][9] In 1982, Cottle became the women's volleyball coach at Utah State University, replacing Marilyn McReavy and Mary Jo Peppler, where she remained for three years.