Pride elevate Matt Gagner as new Head Coach for Women's Volleyball

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Nearing the end of the 2025 spring season for Clarke University women's volleyball, Pride Athletics and Director of Athletics Curt Long are excited to announce Matt Gagner as the 16th head coach for Clarke women's volleyball in the 45-year history of the sport at CU.

"Matt brings excellent experience and enthusiasm to our volleyball program," Long said. "Having been a graduate of Clarke's men's program and an assistant coach for the women's program last season, he knows the institution and carries high expectations for the program."

Gagner takes over one year after returning to Clarke in the spring semester of 2024 as an assistant coach under Chris Miron and will now take over after Miron's 16-season tenure, split over a 13-year run from 2005-2017 then another three years from 2022-2024, comes to an end as he recently stepped down to pursue opportunities outside of Clarke.

"I'm definitely stepping into a role with hard shoes to fill, taking over for Coach Miron," Gagner said, "but I'm looking forward to helping the program continue it's journey to getting back the success it once had. I'm here to win."

The 2018 Clarke graduate returned to the Pride as women's volleyball assistant coach in February 2024 where he helped lead the team to a 12-20 record in the 2024 season. The 12 wins was an eight-win improvement from the season prior, as Gagner primarily instructed Clarke's offense/attack, which produced the two Heart of America All Conference selections on the team in outside hitters Maya Watters (2nd Team) and Rachel Haubert (3rd Team).

On the attack in 2024, the Pride produced 310 more kills from the prior season in just two more matches and seven more sets while boasting improved numbers in both kills per set and hitting percentage from the 2023 season as their kills per set went up by more than two at 9.30 kills per set in 2023 to 11.37 kills per set in 2024 then jumping their hitting percentage over 50 points going from .093 in 2023 to .144 in 2024.

Since 2020, Gagner has been in the coaching world with his most recent stints prior to CU coming at Front Range Volleyball Club and Chaparral High School in Colorado as he served as Chaparral's boys' varsity head coach, and the Front Range Boys Club Director while also working as the head coach of the 18U boys team, assistant coach for the 17U girls team, and assistnt coach for the 15U boys team.

As a member of the Pride men's volleyball program from 2014-18, Gagner was a three-time All Heart of America Athletic Conference selection as a First Team selection in 2016 and a Second Team selection in 2017 and 2018 at the middle blocker position. Gagner was the top blocker in the NAIA in 2016 and 2018 while also helping lead the Pride to an NAIA Tournament appearance in 2016 as he also boasted the top hitting percentage in the NAIA in 2017, a top-three mark in blocks in 2017, and a top-five hitting percentage season in 2018.

Gagner ended his Clarke career and still holds the top-two hitting percentage in a seasons with a program record .425 in 2017 and a .424 in 2018, has the ninth-best blocks in a season total with 122 in 2016, sits in fifth all time at Clarke for blocks in a career with 322, 10th in blocks per set average in a career at 0.96, third in solo blocks in a career with 91, and tied forth eighth in block assists in a career with 231.

Remaining active as a volleyball player post collegiate career, Gagner played professionally first overseas in Essex, United Kingdom for the Tendering Volleyball Club from 2018 to 2019 before returning to the domestic volleyball scene, playing for the Colorado Kraken in the National Volleyball Association in 2022 and the Dallas Dawgs in the Volleyball Association of America starting December 2022 while he still remains on their active roster, he has been away from the team since 2024.

Gagner begins his tenure as Pride women's volleyball's head coach on Tuesday, Apr. 1 where he will lead the remainder of their spring offseason training and continue the team's recruiting efforts towards the 2025 signing class.