EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens has announced a contract extension for head volleyball coach Matt Ulmer that runs through the 2025 season.
"Matt has created a culture of centered on student-athlete success in all facets," said Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens. "Oregon Volleyball consistently competes nationally and at the top levels of the Pac-12 while achieving at a high level academically because of Matt's energy and dedication. He is a huge part of our department and highly engaged in the Eugene community, and we look forward to continued student-athlete successes and positive experiences under Matt's continued leadership."
Through five seasons at the helm of the program, Ulmer is 87-57 overall (.604) with a 55-43 record in Pac-12 play. Ulmer has also led Oregon to four NCAA Tournament appearances including a run to the Elite 8 in 2018 and a trip to the Sweet 16 during the 2021 spring season.
"I want to say thank you to President Schill, Rob Mullens and Lisa Peterson for their continued support," Ulmer said. "My family and I love being Ducks and being part of the Oregon community. I'm so grateful for the relationships that have been made with our past, current and future student-athletes and staff. This is truly a special place and we will continue to strive to be our best selves, and we look forward to creating more amazing memories on and off the court."
The Ducks capped an unprecedented 2021 calendar year with a 22-9 record in the recently completed fall campaign. The season featured the program's fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament under Ulmer and five wins over ranked opponents, including Oregon's first-ever season sweep of Stanford and a straight-set victory over Penn State in Eugene during the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge.
Oregon reached a season-high No. 11 ranking and was ranked among the top-15 teams in the nation for eight weeks overall.
"We are grateful for all of Matt's efforts in creating a positive environment which emphasizes success on and off the court for our Oregon volleyball student-athletes," said Oregon Deputy Athletic Director/SWA Lisa Peterson. "In addition to the success of his program on the court and the classroom, Matt has also taken a strong leadership role on diversity and inclusion issues, and his work as a lead advocate for a Pac-12 Diversity Mentorship Program for Volleyball was recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. We are excited for what is on the horizon for our volleyball program and that Matt is our head coach leading these young women."
Individually, outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller became the sixth player in program history to become a two-time AVCA All-American, earning second-team honors for a second-consecutive season. She was also recognized by VolleyballMag.com as a second-team performer and became the first UO player to win AVCA Pacific North Region Player of the Year.
Additional All-America selections went to libero Georgia Murphy (AVCA, VBMag) and middle blocker Karson Bacon (VBMag) who were both honorable mention picks. The trio collected all-region nods and was joined by Gloria Mutiri when the Pac-12 released its all-conference selections.
During the 2021 spring season, Ulmer led the Ducks to a 15-5 record and a runner-up finish (14-4) in the Pac-12 to match the highest conference finish in the history of the program. The 14 league wins also tied the program's second-highest total, equaling the total from the 2011 season and trailing only the Pac-12 win total from the 2012 national runner-up team.
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