The winningest coach across all sports in Valpo Athletics history, Valpo volleyball head coach Carin Avery has signed a multi-year contract extension to continue leading the Beacons.
 
"Coach Avery runs a program with a team culture that is second to none and shows continuous commitment to supporting the holistic development and experience of the athletes in her program," Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation Laurel Hosmer said. "She consistently recruits and retains well-rounded student-athletes who succeed on the volleyball court while also excelling in the classroom and serving as great representatives of the volleyball program and the University within the community. It's been my privilege to have a front-row seat to watch her teams succeed over the last two seasons, and I'm looking forward to many more great years for Valpo Volleyball under her leadership."
 
Avery has led Valpo to its most successful season since joining the Missouri Valley Conference this year, as the Beacons posted a 12-4 record in MVC play to finish tied for second in the regular season standings. It is the 10^th time that Avery has guided Valpo to a top-two conference regular season finish.
 
In April 2024, Avery was honored by the Valparaiso University Board of Directors with a resolution — brought forward to the board by Carolyn Schlie Femovich '71, who serves as chair of the Athletics Oversight Committee of the Board of Directors and who is a member of the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame — which recognized Avery for her outstanding service and accomplishments to Valpo Athletics, volleyball and for the development of female student-athletes on and off the court.
 
"It's so awesome to come to work every day and get to lead and mentor amazing young women while coaching the sport that I love," Avery said. "We have built a great program with a tremendous culture in my time at Valpo, and we would not have been able to do that without the players who have come through, left their mark in their time here and have gone on to do great things. I am grateful for the support of my coaching staff members, Laurel Hosmer and the administration as we've teamed together to position the program for continued success, both on and off the court."
 
Avery took over the Valpo volleyball program in July 2002 and has led it into a third decade of sustained success. In her 24^th season at the helm, Avery holds a 528-265 (.666) record in her tenure as Valpo head coach, as well as a 583-289 (.669) record overall in her 26^th season as a head coach.
 
Avery claimed the crown as the winningest head coach in Valpo Athletics history in September 2023, as the Beacons' win at Purdue Fort Wayne was her 479th at Valpo. She surpassed the legendary skipper Emory Bauer, the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame coach who amassed 478 wins in his time leading the Valpo football, baseball and men's basketball programs. Avery hit the 500-win mark at Valpo in October 2024 with a victory at Murray State.
 
Under Avery, Valpo has won three conference regular season titles, advanced to seven conference tournament title matches and won three conference tournament championships. The program has made seven postseason appearances in her tenure — three NCAA Tournaments and four NIVC berths, including a run to the NIVC championship match in 2021. Her teams have won 20 or more matches 19 times under her tutelage, including 10 seasons of 25 or more victories.
 
The program has shown tremendous consistency under Avery, finishing in the top half of the conference standings 23 times in her 24 seasons —a time frame which has seen the program make multiple conference transitions: from the Mid-Continent Conference to the Horizon League, and then to the Missouri Valley Conference. Avery has led Valpo to top-half finishes in the MVC standings in each of the program's nine seasons in the Valley, making Valpo the only MVC program to post top-half finishes in each of those seasons.
 
Under Avery, a multitude of players have enjoyed individual success as well. She has coached six AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans and seven All-Region recipients during her time at Valpo. A two-time league Coach of the Year, Avery has led three conference Players of the Year, three Setters of the Year, 11 Libero/Defensive Players of the Year and three Freshman/Newcomers of the Year. In her 24 seasons, 64 Valpo players have been All-Conference selections and 22 players have been named to league All-Freshman/Newcomer teams.
 
Success in the classroom has been just as paramount for Avery's program. Valpo boasts three Academic All-Americans and 24 Academic All-District selections in her time as head coach. In the program's first eight seasons in the MVC, 23 student-athletes have been named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete teams. Valpo has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award 19 times, and is a four-time member of the AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll, which was instituted in 2016 to recognize the highest-achieving volleyball programs in the classroom.