Matt Kearns Joins as Assistant Volleyball Coach
8/9/2024 9:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana volleyball head coach Steve Aird announced the hiring of Matt Kearns as the program's third assistant coach on Friday (August 9th) afternoon. A native of Bellingham, Mass., Kearns joined the Hoosiers for the beginning of fall camp this week.
"Matt comes to us with a great deal of Division I experience and is the perfect fit to complement our staff," Aird said. "He comes highly recommended and has made a major impact at every stop of his coaching career. We will lean on his ability to understand data, crunch film, train players and help us prepare for matches. His experience as a Division I head coach will also help the program in a variety of other ways. He is passionate about the game and has an energy about him that I appreciate. Just an outstanding addition to our program."
Kearns, known for his work in volleyball analytics and game preparation, comes to Bloomington after spending the 2023 season as the head coach at Louisiana-Monroe. Before his time with the Warhawks, Kearns spent six years at Northern Kentucky as a graduate assistant (2017-18) and an assistant coach (2019-22).
"I am thrilled to join the elite staff at Indiana. Being part of such an amazing program with top-notch facilities is a dream come true," Kearns said. "The Big Ten Conference is renowned for its competitive spirit exceptional talent and incredible coaching. I can't wait to dive right in and help elevate the team's success to new heights."
In his time at Northern Kentucky, he helped lead the program to a combined 108-69 record with an overall season mark above .500 in the final five of six seasons on staff. The Norse won the 2019 Horizon League Championship and finished with an RPI in the top-50 in the nation before advancing to the NCAA Tournament to face top-25 foe Michigan.
During his time with Northern Kentucky, Kearns helped coach a number of all-Horizon League selections. Libero Ashton Terrill was a three-time Horizon League selection from 2018-21 while outside hitter Anna Brinkmann was a three-time First Team Horizon League selection. Brinkmann earned all-region honors in 2021 and broke the 1,000-career kill, 1,000-career dig plateau for the Norse.
Kearns graduated from Xavier in 2017 where he spent four years as a student coach and technical advisor for the volleyball program. He was tasked with providing scouting reports of opponents, coordinating film studies and arranging travel itineraries on the road. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Xavier in 2017.
In addition to his responsibilities at Xavier, Kearns broke into the club and high school volleyball scene in the Cincinnati area. He worked as a varsity assistant coach and junior varsity head coach at Purcell Marian High School. He spent time working club volleyball with Elevation Volleyball Club and Tri-State Elite. Sophomore setter Luca Fickell played her club ball with Tri-State Elite.
Kearns will join Aird, associate head coach Rachel Morris and assistant coach Kevin Hodge as the 2024 coaching staff for the volleyball program. The Hoosiers begin the regular season on Aug. 30 at Kennesaw State.
"Matt comes to us with a great deal of Division I experience and is the perfect fit to complement our staff," Aird said. "He comes highly recommended and has made a major impact at every stop of his coaching career. We will lean on his ability to understand data, crunch film, train players and help us prepare for matches. His experience as a Division I head coach will also help the program in a variety of other ways. He is passionate about the game and has an energy about him that I appreciate. Just an outstanding addition to our program."
Kearns, known for his work in volleyball analytics and game preparation, comes to Bloomington after spending the 2023 season as the head coach at Louisiana-Monroe. Before his time with the Warhawks, Kearns spent six years at Northern Kentucky as a graduate assistant (2017-18) and an assistant coach (2019-22).
"I am thrilled to join the elite staff at Indiana. Being part of such an amazing program with top-notch facilities is a dream come true," Kearns said. "The Big Ten Conference is renowned for its competitive spirit exceptional talent and incredible coaching. I can't wait to dive right in and help elevate the team's success to new heights."
In his time at Northern Kentucky, he helped lead the program to a combined 108-69 record with an overall season mark above .500 in the final five of six seasons on staff. The Norse won the 2019 Horizon League Championship and finished with an RPI in the top-50 in the nation before advancing to the NCAA Tournament to face top-25 foe Michigan.
During his time with Northern Kentucky, Kearns helped coach a number of all-Horizon League selections. Libero Ashton Terrill was a three-time Horizon League selection from 2018-21 while outside hitter Anna Brinkmann was a three-time First Team Horizon League selection. Brinkmann earned all-region honors in 2021 and broke the 1,000-career kill, 1,000-career dig plateau for the Norse.
Kearns graduated from Xavier in 2017 where he spent four years as a student coach and technical advisor for the volleyball program. He was tasked with providing scouting reports of opponents, coordinating film studies and arranging travel itineraries on the road. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Xavier in 2017.
In addition to his responsibilities at Xavier, Kearns broke into the club and high school volleyball scene in the Cincinnati area. He worked as a varsity assistant coach and junior varsity head coach at Purcell Marian High School. He spent time working club volleyball with Elevation Volleyball Club and Tri-State Elite. Sophomore setter Luca Fickell played her club ball with Tri-State Elite.
Kearns will join Aird, associate head coach Rachel Morris and assistant coach Kevin Hodge as the 2024 coaching staff for the volleyball program. The Hoosiers begin the regular season on Aug. 30 at Kennesaw State.
Players Mentioned
Setter
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