Transylvania University Women's Volleyball

Walton has engineered a nearly instant ascent for the Transylvania volleyball team upon taking the reins as head coach in the summer of 2014. Walton's second year as head coach saw the Pioneers improve by five wins and nine fewer losses than the season before. Walton's most recent season also produced new conference and program records by Erin Romito in kills with 481 in the season, and 189 total kills in conference play in 2015-16. Under Walton's guidance, the Pioneers furnished four all-HCAC players in 2015-16 along with the HCAC Defensive Most Valuable Player, Audrey Brown. As Walton continues to enhance the culture of the Pioneers volleyball program, the third-year head coach completed his largest recruiting class in the summer of 2016, bringing 10 talented freshmen to Broadway and 4th Street.   Walton's guidance helped current student-athlete Erin Romito set conference and program records in kills in 2014, tallying 495 kills on the season-177 in conference play- while three of his players earned conference honors. Romito also set conference records for total attacks in a season with 1459 attempts overall-485 in conference play. While serving as an assistant coach and technical director in 2012, Walton was a member of a staff that helped guide UK to a 22-11 overall record in 2012 and advance to its second-straight Sweet 16 appearance, and eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament. He then helped guide UK to a 22-9 record in 2013 which also included a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to his stop in Lexington, he served as an assistant coach at Louisville. The Cardinals paved their way to the NCAA Tournament in 2011 with Walton serving as the recruiting coordinator. Before coming to Louisville, he spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Saint Louis and helped guide the Billikens to back-to-back Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season crowns and NCAA Tournament appearances in his first two campaigns. In 2009, he helped eventual A-10 co-Player of the Year and AVCA All-American Sammi McCloud make the transition to the middle-blocker position. Walton was an integral part of the Billikens' record-breaking success during his first season at SLU in 2008. Walton, who works primarily with SLU's middle blockers, mentored Sally Warning, who led the A-10 with 1.13 blocks per set in league contests and earned AVCA All-Region and A-10 first-team honors. He also helped the Bills post a league-leading 2.36 blocks per set in conference matches. In the summer of 2010, Walton was involved with the USA Volleyball program as an apprentice coach. He worked with every level of players within the program ranging from the Junior, Youth and Select age groups. Prior to joining Anne Kordes' coaching staff, Walton spent the 2007 campaign as an assistant coach at Southern Illinois. He served as the recruiting coordinator for the Salukis while also scouting opponents and assisting with practice and practice planning. Walton, who was primarily in charge of the middle blockers and right-side hitters, helped SIU return to the six-team State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament for the first time since the 2002 season. Walton was an assistant coach at NCAA Division II University of Southern Indiana for one season before his stint at Southern Illinois. From 2005-06, the Edon, Ohio, native was the facility director and director of volleyball operations at Synergy Sports in Toledo, Ohio. While working at Synergy Sports, Walton also coached two U-16 volleyball club teams. Walton has been around the game of volleyball for most of his life, with his father in his 23rd year as the head coach at Edon High School. After assisting with his father's high school teams, he spent two years as a student assistant with the Otterbein College volleyball team while also competing as a student-athlete on the basketball and baseball teams. Walton graduated from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, in 2005 with a degree in sports management. He was part of the Cardinals' 2002 men's basketball Division III national championship team.  He is married to Lindsey Gray-Walton, who is in her seventh season as an assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats. The couple has one daughter, Berkley.