Villanova University Women's Volleyball

(LAST UPDATED: 12/9/25) Villanova head coach Josh Steinbach finished up his 19th season at the helm of the Villanova volleyball program in 2025. His career record of 306-251 (.549) stands alone as by far the most victories among head coaches in the history of the program. The 2007 BIG EAST Coach of the Year and 2015 AVCA East Coach Region Coach of the Year has led the Wildcats to five conference quarterfinal and five semifinal appearances, one BIG EAST runner-up and an NCAA Tournament berth in addition to 12 winning seasons. 2025 saw Steinbach lead the Wildcats to one of the best seasons in program history, posting a 20-win campaign with a second straight BIG EAST semifinal appearance. The 'Cats earned a pair of AVCA All-Region and unanimous All-BIG EAST nods under Steinbach's oversight in addition to nine conference weekly awards. Steinbach earned his 300th career victory on Oct. 17 of 2025, becoming the 74th active Division I head coach at that time to reach 300. In 2022, the VU head coach picked up career win 250 in a five-set victory over Georgetown on Nov. 10, following up number 200 which came in the 2018 season. Steinbach was named the 2015 AVCA East Coach Region Coach of the Year after coaching the Wildcats to a 25-9 record, earning the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament bid. Villanova’s 25 wins in a season were the most in a season since the 1993 team won 26. The 2015 squad went 14-4 in the BIG EAST and finished in second place on the season, its highest finish since 1997.  The start of Steinbach's tenure at Villanova was an extremely successful one as he led his 2007 squad to a 17-12 record, a 9-5 mark in BIG EAST play and the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Championship. He was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year for his efforts and the Wildcats had multiple players selected to the all-conference first team for the first time in 15 years. While successful on the court, Steinbach’s teams have always performed well in the classroom, earning the AVCA Team Academic Award nearly every year since he has been a head coach.  Most recently before coming to Villanova, Steinbach was the assistant coach at Wright State from 2005-07. His responsibilities there included serving as recruiting coordinator, overseeing the team's video breakdown of opponents and on-court coaching duties. Prior to his Wright State experience, Steinbach was an assistant at the University of Cincinnati from 2003-05. He also held assistant coaching positions at Penn State and San Diego Mesa Community College.   Steinbach played collegiate volleyball at both San Diego Mesa Community College and George Mason University. After earning his Associates Degree from San Diego Mesa Community College in 1999, he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Penn State University in 2002.   A native of State College, Pa., Steinbach has two sons, Bennett and Carson.

Joe Portland was promoted to associate head coach in the fall of 2025 after serving as assistant coach since the spring of 2022. The West Chester graduate joined the VU staff in 2021, working as a volunteer assistant coach for the Wildcats in his first year on the Main Line before a promotion to full-time. Currently, Portland serves as Villanova's offensive coordinator in addition to handling logistics of travel and meals. In his time at Villanova, Portland has developed a quartet of all-conference selections. Portland's first full-time season on staff in 2022 saw Kiera Booth earn an All-BIG EAST and All-ECAC First Team nod after leading the 'Cats in blocks while hitting a career-best .336. The 2025 campaign saw Portland and the 'Cats post one of the most successful seasons ever at Villanova, reaching 20 wins and a second straight BIG EAST semifinal while a pair of Wildcats earned All-Region and unanimous All-BIG EAST honors. 2024 saw a return to the league tournament for Portland and Villanova with VU's first round upset of UConn giving the 'Cats a 17-14 overall record and first semifinal appearance since 2019. Portland oversaw Abby Harrell's second straight all-conference campaign, while playing a major role in the development of first-year middle Campbell McKinnon's all-freshman team and all-tournament performances. Portland also served as the team's acting head coach for three matches in 2024, going 2-1 at the Yale Invitational with victories over two reigning conference champions: Colgate and Fairfield. 2023 marked Portland's first time leading the squad to the BIG EAST Tournament, along the way helping first-year hitter Harrell earn Villanova's third ever BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. Harrell also picked up All-BIG EAST and freshman team honors during her debut campaign, and middle blocker Booth became the sixth Wildcat to earn an all-conference nod in back-to-back seasons. Originally from Reading, Pa., Portland previously spent time coaching at the University of Virginia, Misericordia University, West Chester University and Muhlenberg College. Portland served as the volunteer assistant coach at Virginia for the 2019-20 season and the fall segment of 2020, specializing in serve receive training and serving strategy. Portland earned a bachelor’s degree in professional studies from West Chester before completing a master’s in organizational management at Misericordia. Portland played on the West Chester men’s team and made the MACVC all-conference team during his playing career, also serving as president and vice president of the team during his tenure. Cumulatively Portland has spent 13 years coaching at the club level for various clubs such as Synergy, Spooky Nook and X-Factor. He also spent time coaching the KRVA Region High Performance program where he served as the head coach of the youth level team and assistant coach for the team that won a silver medal in the Girls Youth Division in 2017. 

Elizabeth House serves as an assistant coach on the volleyball staff, joining the Wildcats in May of 2024. She previously spent two seasons at Florida State University, working as a volunteer assistant before a promotion to assistant coach for the 2023 campaign.  The second season with House on staff was one of the best seasons in Villanova history, reaching 20 wins and a second straight BIG EAST semifinal while a pair of 'Cats earned All-Region and unanimous All-BIG EAST honors. House's first season on Villanova's staff saw the Wildcats make a return to the BIG EAST Semifinals for the first time since 2019, going 17-14 overall with an upset of UConn in the tournament's opening round. House aided in the development of all-conference selection Abby Harrell and all-freshman honoree Campbell McKinnon while overseeing libero Elizabeth Feczko reaching 1,000 career digs. At FSU, House worked primarily with the back-row players, focusing on defensive skill development and serve receive in addition to scouting reports and match preparation. In House's time in Tallahassee, the Seminoles were ACC Co-Champions for the first time since 2012 and earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths. House played at the University of Dayton from 2018-21. The Ohio native totaled 488 total digs in her time as a Flyer, including a career-high 207 as a sophomore, with 45 service aces and 74 assists as a collegian.