BIRMINGHAM – UAB volleyball coach Amy Pauly has been selected as one of Volleyballmag.com’s Under 40 Coaching Hotshots, the publication announced on Monday.
“What an awesome accomplishment for Coach Pauly! She is a great head coach that has an eye for talent and teaching technique,” said Senior Associate Athletics Director/SWA Katreshia Louis-Verrett. “I am excited for what she and her team hold at UAB.”
Following the completion of her second year at the helm for the Blazers, Pauly earned the recognition as one of the top 50 coaches under the age of 40 in the NCAA. The honor is not the first up-and-coming selection Pauly has received throughout her coaching career as she was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association 30 under 30 list in 2016 as associate head coach for Villanova.
The Chicago native has taken the program to new heights since taking the reins in 2018. In her first season, Pauly led UAB to 13 wins, the most for the Blazers since 2013. This past season, Pauly guided a team without a senior starter to 12 wins, which also marked more victories than the previous four years prior to her arrival.
Along with team success, Pauly individually developed UAB’s young core in 2019 as two freshmen in outside hitter Fernanda Maida and setter Rachel Morse were selected to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team, the most selections to the team in program history.
Prior to her first head coaching job at UAB, Pauly spent six successful seasons at Villanova. While in Philadelphia, she helped the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and a total of 97 wins along with her aforementioned personal honor. In 2017, Villanova earned one selection to both the All-Big East First Team and the All-Big East Second team. Off the court, Pauly was instrumental in putting together the Wildcats’ first top-55 recruiting class in program history during the same season.
Before joining Villanova, Pauly spent her first six years at the college level in the SEC where she was a graduate assistant at South Carolina and a player at Alabama. With the Crimson Tide, the former libero reached three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and still holds the Alabama record for digs in a season and digs in a career. Pauly also ranks highly in the SEC all-time record books, coming in fourth in career digs in conference history.
With the 2019 season in the books and three current signees from the early signing period, Pauly and the Blazers will turn their focus to the 2020 season.
For more information on the UAB volleyball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter or Instagram (@UAB_VB).
-Go Blazers-
