Johnson & Wales University (RI) Women's Volleyball

Michael Houlihan assumed the reigns of the JWU (Providence) volleyball program in August, 2022. Under Houlihan, the Wildcats have posted a two-year Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) record of 23-5 and captured the 2022 GNAC Championship. Three student-athletes Peyton Oliver, Sarah Miller, and Emily Corbett each earned all-conference honors while Oliver was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Team in 2023. Houlihan who also handles all aspects of scheduling at JWU arrived in Providence following 13 seasons at UMass Boston, the last eight as head coach. In 12 seasons on the UMB coaching staff, the Beacons compiled a record of 251-132 (.655 winning pct.) including a 76-11 mark in Little East Conference (LEC) play along with 10 LEC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, and three trips to the NCAA Elite 8 (2010, 2012, 2013). Last fall, Houlihan guided the Beacons to a 14-13 mark (5-3 LEC) and identical 3-2 wins over Keene State and Eastern Connecticut State in the LEC playoffs to capture their conference-record 10th championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Overall, Houlihan coached a total of 47 all-conference student-athletes at UMass Boston, including eight who were named LEC Offensive Player of the Year, five LEC Rookie of the Year winners, and four who received Defensive Player of the Year honors. Twenty went on to garner all-region accolades while 14 garnered All-America honors. Houlihan who was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Associations (AVCA) Thirty Under 30 list in 2013 has been employed by the New England Region Volleyball Association since 2017, first as a head coach (2017-18) and currently as the co-Director. He helps train and prepare the most elite athletes in the New England region for the international tournament hosted by USA Volleyball High Performance. The Shoreham, New York native cut his teeth in the collegiate coaching ranks at Newbury College, where he worked as an assistant coach during the 2010 campaign. Houlihan has worked numerous camps throughout his career, including stops at the University of Delaware and the University of New Hampshire, and speaks annually at the New England Region Volleyball Association workshop. A 2009 graduate of Nazareth College with a B.S. in Business Administration, Houlihan was a four-year member of the mens volleyball program who went on to earn his Masters of Business Administration from UMass Boston in 2012.