| Charleston Cougars volleyball | |
| City: | Charleston |
| University: | College of Charleston |
| Coach: | Jason Kepner |
| Conference: | Coastal Athletic Association |
| Conference Short: | CAA |
| State: | South Carolina |
| Stateabb: | SC |
| Arena: | TD Arena |
| Capacity: | 5,100 |
| Nickname: | Cougars |
| Ncaatourneys: | 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2024 |
| Conference Season: | 1992, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2024 |
| Conference Tournament: | 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2024 |
| Tenure: | 18th |
The Charleston Cougars volleyball team represents the College of Charleston in the sport of women's volleyball. The Cougars compete in the Coastal Athletic Association of NCAA Division I. The team plays their home games at TD Arena on the College's campus in Charleston, South Carolina. They are coached by Jason Kepner who was hired after the 2006 season. The Cougars have reached ten NCAA women's volleyball tournaments, advancing to the second round in 2005 and 2012.
The College of Charleston's women's volleyball team was founded in 1974 and joined Division I in 1991. They have played in the CAA since the 2013 season.
The Cougars first coach, Nancy Wilson, also served as the head coach of the women's basketball team at the College from 1976 to 1984, and later from 2003 to 2011. She led the volleyball team to 286 wins, the second most in program history, and the women's basketball team to 311 victories, the most in program history.[1] [2] After Wilson's first departure in 1984, Amelia Dawley, who had previously played for the Cougars under Wilson, became head coach. She led the program to three consecutive NAIA National Tournaments from 1984 to 1986.[3] [4]
The Cougars made the transition to Division I under coach Laura Lageman in 1991, playing in the TAAC before switching to the Southern Conference under head coach Jewel Geisy McRoberts in 1998.[5] The Cougars won their first SoCon Tournament and made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002, after coach McRoberts had been named SoCon Coach of the Year in 2001.[6]
Sherry Dunbar came in to lead the program from 2003–06, coaching the team to a 67-3 (.957) SoCon record over her four seasons. Under Dunbar's tutelage the Cougars won four consecutive regular season championships, three tournament championships, and made three NCAA Tournament appearances (2004, 2005, 2006), earning their first Tournament win over North Carolina in 2005. The 2005 Cougars set the school record of 32 wins during one season while going undefeated in conference play for the only time in program history. Dunbar was named SoCon Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2005 before leaving to coach the Indiana Hoosiers after the 2006 season.[7] [8]
Jason Kepner, a 1994 National Champion, has been the Cougar's head coach since the 2007 season. In his 18 seasons the program has amassed seven regular season championships, five conference tournament championships, six NCAA Tournament appearances, and one National Invitational appearance. Kepner's Cougars earned the program's second NCAA Tournament victory in 2012, received their first at-large bid to the Tournament in 2017, and made it to the semifinals of the NIVC in 2018. With a record of 344-182 (.654) through the 2023 season, he is the winningest coach in Charleston history.[9]
| Year | Conference | Games played | Record | Win percentage | Conference record | Head coach | Postseason | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974–83 | AIAW (Division II) | 406 | 286–120 | .704 | N/A | Nancy Wilson | ||
| 1984–88 | Independent (NCAA Division II) | 243 | 171–72 | .704 | Amelia Dawley | NAIA (1984, 1985, 1986) | ||
| 1989 | 33 | 22–11 | .667 | Laura Lageman | ||||
| 1990 | 45 | 31–14 | .689 | |||||
| 1991 | Trans-America Athletic Conference (NCAA Division I) | 41 | 29–12 | .569 | ||||
| 1992 | 39 | 28–11 | .718 | |||||
| 1993 | 38 | 29–9 | .763 | 6–2 | ||||
| 1994 | 35 | 27–8 | .771 | 8–2 | ||||
| 1995 | 39 | 22–17 | .564 | 4–2 | ||||
| 1996 | 34 | 17–17 | .500 | 3–3 | Jewel Geisy McRoberts | |||
| 1997 | 35 | 16–16 | .500 | 2–4 | ||||
| 1998 | Southern Conference | 33 | 9–24 | .273 | 5–13 | |||
| 1999 | 32 | 19–13 | .594 | 11–9 | ||||
| 2000 | 32 | 15–17 | .469 | 8–12 | ||||
| 2001 | 33 | 30–3 | .909 | 19–1 | ||||
| 2002 | 35 | 29–6 | .829 | 18–2 | NCAA (first round) | |||
| 2003 | 34 | 28–6 | .824 | 17–1 | Sherry Dubar | |||
| 2004 | 32 | 26–6 | .813 | 15–1 | NCAA (first round) | |||
| 2005 | 34 | 32–2 | .941 | 18–0 | NCAA (second round) | |||
| 2006 | 35 | 27–8 | .771 | 17–1 | NCAA (first round) | |||
| 2007 | 34 | 26–8 | .765 | 16–2 | Jason Kepner | NCAA (first round) | ||
| 2008 | 34 | 27–7 | .794 | 17–1 | ||||
| 2009 | 31 | 18–13 | .581 | 12–4 | NCAA (first round) | |||
| 2010 | 35 | 29–6 | .829 | 15–1 | ||||
| 2011 | 35 | 25–10 | .714 | 14–2 | ||||
| 2012 | 35 | 27–8 | .771 | 14–2 | NCAA (second round) | |||
| 2013 | Colonial/Coastal Athletic Association | 31 | 25–6 | .806 | 13–1 | NCAA (first round) | ||
| 2014 | 33 | 23–10 | .697 | 14–2 | ||||
| 2015 | 33 | 20–13 | .606 | 10–6 | ||||
| 2016 | 29 | 17–12 | .586 | 10–6 | ||||
| 2017 | 33 | 27–6 | .818 | 15–1 | NCAA (first round) | |||
| 2018 | 35 | 24–11 | .686 | 11–5 | NIVC (semifinals) | |||
| 2019 | 28 | 7–21 | .250 | 4–12 | ||||
| 2020 | 11 | 5–6 | .455 | 4–4 | ||||
| 2021 | 28 | 16–12 | .571 | 9–7 | ||||
| 2022 | 30 | 14–16 | .467 | 9–7 | ||||
| 2023 | 30 | 14–16 | .467 | 11–7 | ||||
| 2024 | 33 | 25–8 | .757 | 15–3 | NCAA (TBD) | |||
| Total | 1854 | 1262–592 | .680 | 364–126 | 11 Appearances | |||
| Bold indicates tournament won Italics indicate Conference Championship | ||||||||
The Cougars have appeared in the NCAA tournament ten times. Their combined record is 2–9.[11] [12]
| First round | L 1–3 | ||||
| First round | L 0–3 | ||||
| First round Second round | North Carolina | W 3–1 L 0–3 | |||
| First round | L 0–3 | ||||
| First round | L 0–3 | ||||
| First round |
| L 0–3 | |||
| First round Second round | Miami
| W 3–2 L 0–3 | |||
| First round | L 1–3 | ||||
| First round | Miami | L 1–3 | |||
| First round | TBD |
The Cougars have appeared in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) one time. Their record is 3–1.[13] [14]
| First round Second round Third round Semifinals | St. John's Georgia Tech Clemson Tulane | W 3–1 W 3–1 W 3–0 L 1–3 |
Under the current Coastal Athletic Association TV deal, all home and in-conference away volleyball games are shown on FloSports.[15]