Vanessa Walby enters her 13th season as the head coach of WashU’s volleyball program in 2026. Walby was hired as the sixth head coach in the 41-year history of the program Dec. 23, 2013.
WashU volleyball’s tradition of excellence has continued under the guidance of Walby as the team captured the University Athletic Association (UAA) conference championship in 2015 and 2017 while also advancing to the NCAA Division III National Championship match in 2016. She was rewarded with her fourth overall and second UAA Coach of the Year award with WashU in 2017. Under the tutelage of Walby, the Bears advanced to the NCAA Regional Championship match in three consecutive seasons (2014-2016).
During Walby’s tenure at WashU, the Bears have posted a 295-88 record, won the UAA conference title twice and advanced to NCAA tournament 10 times. She has developed several athletes with highly decorated careers including Allison Zastrow who was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Player of the Year in 2015 and the UAA Player of the Year in 2017 (Julianne Malek).
Under her watchful eye, the Bears have received 22 All-America honors.
In 2025, WashU advanced to the Regional Final for the first time since 2016. The Bears closed the season with a 24-9 record after reaching the UAA Championships match for the second year in a row. Walby guided Sam Buckley to her fourth straight All-American honors while Buckley broke the program record for career assists (5,394).
In 2018, the Bears finished the year with a 26-8 mark and advanced to their 32nd straight NCAA Tournament. WashU had five student-athletes recognized by the UAA including two that earned All-American First and Second Team accolades.
In her first season on the Danforth Campus, Walby led the Bears to a 35-6 record and an appearance in the NCAA Regional Championship match. Her 35 wins were the most by a first-year coach in school history.
During the 2016 season, WashU enjoyed its deepest run in the NCAA postseason with Walby at the helm. The Bears won five straight matches to earn a spot in the National Championship match, ultimately concluding the season as the national runner-up with a record of 27-11.
Walby arrived at WashU after a six-year stint as the head coach at the University of Chicago. She compiled a 163-71 (.697) record at Chicago and led the Maroons to the NCAA Tournament each of her last four seasons. Walby earned 2013 UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors for two straight seasons after leading Chicago to a 27-11 record and the school’s first conference championship.
Walby engineered a dramatic turnaround at Chicago after inheriting a program that had won only seven matches the year before, building it into a nationally competitive program. She led Chicago to a 19-17 mark in her debut campaign in 2008, and followed with a 28-13 record in 2009, including a third-place finish in the UAA.
In 2010, Walby guided Chicago to a 30-13 overall record and its first appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Maroons also made their first appearance in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) coaches’ poll, ranking as high as No. 17 midway through the campaign. Chicago's 30 victories in 2010 matched the most in the program's history.
In 2011, the Maroons posted another 30-win season (30-6) and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Walby posted a 29-11 record in 2012 and earned UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors after guiding the Maroons to their third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the second round.
Walby’s teams at Chicago were ranked in the AVCA Top-25 poll each of her last four seasons, and she coached one AVCA All-American, two all-region and 22 all-conference selections for the Maroons. Off the court, Chicago maintained a team GPA of 3.35 with 21 Academic All-UAA selections in six seasons.
Before her arrival at Chicago in the spring of 2008, Walby spent three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater after serving as a graduate assistant for the Warhawks in 2004. UW-Whitewater reached the NCAA Division III semifinals in each of Walby's three seasons as assistant coach. The Warhawks won the national championship in 2005, finished second in 2007, and placed third in 2006. During those three seasons, Wisconsin-Whitewater compiled a combined record of 111-15.
Walby played two seasons at Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1999 and 2000. As team captain in 2000, she was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team after helping lead the Warhawks to a NCAA runner-up finish. Walby earned bachelor's and master's degrees in coaching/health and physical education from Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2001 and 2005.
