Spencer McLachlin - Women's Volleyball Coach - Indiana University Athletics

Spencer McLachlin

Title:
Associate Head Coach
Email:
spmclach@iu.edu
Phone:
(812) 856-0300

Spencer McLachlin completed his first season as associate head coach with Indiana in 2022. He works closely with the team's defense and blocking.

During the 2022 campaign, McLachlin helped lead the Hoosiers to a 16-16 record including a 9-11 finish in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers won nine conference matches for the first time since 2010 and finished eighth in the Big Ten, the highest team's finish since the conference expanded to 14 teams.

IU beat No. 5 Ohio State and No. 25 Michigan on the road, marking the first season in program history with multiple road victories over ranked teams. The win over the Buckeyes was the first over a top-five team on the road in program history and the second-highest ranked win in the team's history.

An average of 1,366 fans came to watch IU matches in Wilkinson Hall in 2022 and IU beat four conference teams on the road for the first time since 2009.

Under his guidance, middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede blocked 118 balls on the season including 14 games of five-plus rejections. Five different Hoosiers had more than 40 blocks in 2022. As a team, IU had 250 total blocks including 18 in a victory over Northwestern.

Prior to Indiana, McLachlin spent four seasons as an assistant coach for the UCLA Men’s Volleyball program. He also has international experience with U.S. Men’s Volleyball where he worked on coaching staffs that competed in the Pan American Cup and NORCECA Champions cup.

Before arriving at UCLA, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the University of California women’s volleyball team. In 2017, he was named to the American Volleyball Coach Association (AVCA) “Thirty Under 30” list. The honor is presented to up-and-coming coaching talents across volleyball.

McLachlin got his start in coaching as an assistant coach for the men’s volleyball program at the University of Hawaii. During his time there he helped them earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 13 seasons.

Playing for the men’s program at Stanford University, McLachlin had a stellar playing career as an outside hitter that included a national championship in 2010 and was ranked among the program’s all-time leaders in kills with 1,288. While completing his master’s in education, he was a club coach for the Bay-to-Bay Volleyball Club for the 2011-12 season.

McLachlin also has playing experience on the professional level. He was an outside hitter for the Greek pro volleyball team, Mas NIKI Aiginio from 2012-14.

Accompanying him to Bloomington is his wife Diane and their daughter Leila. Diane McLachlin, formally Copenhagen, was a standout at USC and has played all over the world in both indoor and beach volleyball. The couple are expecting a second child in May of 2023.