Staff Directory
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- Head Coach
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Haley Eckerman, a four-time All-American and 2012 national champion at the University of Texas, was named the ninth head coach in Kent State University volleyball history on March 7, 2022.
During her first four seasons on the M.A.C. Center sidelines, Eckerman helped outside hitter Mackenzie McGuire develop into one of the top attackers in program history. McGuire finished her career third all-time in kills per set (3.42) and sixth in total kills (1,280). She also ranked in the top 10 in the Mid-American Conference in kills per set for three consecutive seasons.
The Eckerman era began with a 9-2 start as the Golden Flashes posted the most non-conference victories since the 2008 season. A program record five different student-athletes earned Mid-American Conference Player of the Week honors during the 2022 campaign.
During Eckerman’s tenure, three Kent State student-athletes (Mackenzie McGuire, Savannah Matthews, Danie Tyson) have surpassed 1,000 career kills and three (Alex Haffner, Savannah Matthews and Bryn Roberts) have surpassed 1,000 carer digs. Additionally, Erin Gardner became just the third member of Kent State’s 2,000-digs club during the 2022 season.
The Flashes have raised the standard of excellence in the classroom under Eckerman and set both semester and cumulative GPA records in Spring 2026. Kent State has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award each of the past three years, highlighted by Team Academic Honor Roll distinction, which celebrates programs in the top 20 percent for their division, in 2026.
Right before taking over at Kent State, Eckerman served as an assistant coach at Texas Christian University (TCU) during the 2021 season. She worked closely with the team’s hitters and defensive specialists during her lone season in Fort Worth, helping the Horned Frogs double their win total from the previous spring and push No. 6 Baylor to five sets in front of a Schollmaier Arena record 4,012 fans.
Prior to that, she was instrumental in Tarleton State’s successful transition to Division I during the spring 2021 campaign. Eckerman was hired as an assistant coach in March 2020 as the college sports world began to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite not being able to spend as much time in the gym with the student-athletes working on skill development as a typical offseason, she helped the team navigate the unprecedented season and finish with a winning record and in a tie for fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
Eckerman’s first collegiate job was as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Lamar University in 2019. Her coaching career began in her hometown at Waterloo West High School (Iowa), as she led the team to its first regional final in over 20 years during the 2018 season.
The main contributor on three NCAA Final Four teams in her four seasons as a student-athlete, Eckerman was selected as part of the University of Texas Athletics Hall of Honor class in 2025. She was named the 2012 Longhorn Female Athlete of the Year after winning the National Championship in her sophomore season and the Volleyball Magazine Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013. Eckerman was named 2011 Big 12 Freshman of the Year before winning Big 12 Player of the Year in each of her next three seasons. She is only the second three-time Player of the Year recipient in Big 12 history.
She was named AVCA All-America Second Team after her freshman season, followed by three-straight First Team All-America selections to close her career in Austin.
Eckerman finished her career among the top 10 in six different statistical categories at Texas, including fifth all-time in total points (1,910) and total kills (1,662). She also racked up 4.42 points per set and is No. 7 all-time in aces, No. 8 all-time in kills per set and No. 9 all-time in aces per set.
Following her dominating career at UT, Eckerman competed at the professional level for the next four seasons. Her professional career covered stops in South Korea, Puerto Rico, Azerbaijan, Italy and Russia.
In 2018, Eckerman co-founded Team Dream – the first All-African American team to compete and win USA Open Nationals. In 2020, she co-founded Think Outside the Box, a volleyball coaching and athlete development company that provides resources and support, while also addressing issues related to diversity within the game of volleyball among players and coaches at all levels.
Eckerman earned a bachelor's degree in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas in 2014 and is a proud mother of son, Cayden.
