After a 31-year stint as head coaching indoor women’s volleyball — including 11 WCC titles and 20 NCAA Tournament appearances — Nina Matthies announced her decision to step down from her position this week. Saturday, Nov. 16, will mark her last time coaching in Firestone Fieldhouse.
“At this point in time, I’ve decided to back off a little bit and see how long that goes and what I need to do next,” Matthies said.
The university will go through a national search for a new indoor women’s volleyball coach, as is standard procedure. Matthies will continue to coach the 2012 title winning sand volleyball team.
“I’m happy I got to play with her,” junior Katie Messing said. “To be able to catch her last three years is really special. I’ve learned a lot from her.”
Pepperdine hired Matthies in 1983 as only the third person to fill the spot. Since then, Volleyball Magazine has named her as one of the “Most Influential People in the First 100 Years of Volleyball,” and she is the WCC’s all-time winningest coach.
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Follow Alysha Tsuji on Twitter: @alyshatsuji
As published in the Nov. 14 issue of the Pepperdine Graphic.
