Matt Botsford

Matt Botsford, ranked ninth nationally among active Division I coaches in career winning percentage, was named UCF volleyball’s 10th head coach by UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir in December 2024.

In his first season in charge, Botsford led the Knights to historic growth throughout 2025. Increases in overall wins (9 to 17), Big 12 wins (4 to 8), and final RPI (204 to 63) highlighted the transformational culture instilled during his inaugural campaign.

The RPI growth was the fourth most by a DI team and ranked second among Power Four programs. Botsford became the first coach to secure two top-25 wins in his first season in charge, as UCF defeated No. 17 BYU in Provo and swept No. 24 Iowa State on Senior Night in Orlando. The top-25 triumphs marked the eighth and ninth in program history and just the second season the Black and Gold have secured multiple.

Botsford's balanced squad ranked among the top of the Big 12 in kills per set (sixth, 13.39), hitting percentage (seventh, 0.239), blocks per set (seventh, 2.34), opponent hitting percentage (third, 0.183), and paced the conference in aces per set (1.74) behind the NCAA leader Skylar English's 0.71 aces per set.

The new-look Knights placed multiple student-athletes on postseason awards lists. Avah Armour was tabbed to the All-Big 12 First Team and named the Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year, while freshman standout Alexa Haley landed on the All-Big 12 Rookie Team, each being first's for the program.

Armour, Haley, and Reaghan Thompson tallied a combined four Big 12 Player of the Week honors, with Thompson securing a pair of Defensive Player of the Week honors and Haley becoming the first freshman to receive the honor since 2021. Armour later went on to secure an AVCA All-America honorable mention recognition, becoming the ninth Knight in program history to receive the honor. The Colorado native was also named to the AVCA All-Southeast Region First Team, along with CSC Academic All-America and All-District honors, emphasizing the importance of both on-court success and efforts in the classroom under Botsford.

Botsford spent the past 11 seasons at Florida Gulf Coast, where he led the Eagles to four consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference Championships, including four consecutive, and five NCAA tournament appearances. He also guided the Eagles to their first NCAA First Round win (in their first appearance) in 2018.

In Botsford’s tenure as a head coach at FGCU, he has accumulated a 263-78 (.771) career record and was recently named the 2024 America Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Southeast Region Coach of the Year. He has taken the FGCU program to heights it has not seen in the Division I era (2007-present), registering at least 20 wins in nine of the past 10 seasons (excluding COVID 2020) and at least 10 wins in conference play every year.

The Eagles finished the 2024 season with a 27-5 record and ranked third in the NCAA for aces per set (2.11). Botsford’s squad tallied 263 aces throughout the season, which ranked sixth in the nation.

FGCU made its fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament after cruising through ASUN conference play with a 15-1 record. His squad led the conference in nearly every statistic, including kills per set (13.66), hitting percentage (.263) and opponent hitting percentage (.168).

In his 11 seasons at FGCU, he garnered three ASUN Coach of the Year honors and mentored a total of 61 players that have earned ASUN All-Conference awards, including seven players tabbed ASUN Player of the Year. Additionally, seven have earned AVCA All-Region selections and three All-America honors.

In 2017, Botsford’s first recruit, Amanda Carroll, became the program’s first AVCA First Team All-Region selection, while also garnering First Team All-ASUN, ASUN Co-Player of the Year, ASUN Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year and CoSIDA Academic All-District recognition. Snowy Burnam, who also played beach volleyball, became just the second player in NCAA history to be named her conference’s freshman of the year in both indoor and beach volleyball.

Botsford, who played at Tri-State University (now Trine University) from 1995-98, has served as an assistant coach at five different collegiate institutions, with the most recent occurring at Colorado State University from May 2012 to February 2014. While there, he helped lead the Rams to two consecutive conference championships and NCAA Tournament berths. On top of that, the program also recorded a program-best 27 consecutive wins in 2013.

Before his time at Colorado State, Botsford was the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at Notre Dame and Miami, in addition to stints at IUPUI and the University of Indianapolis. Furthermore, he served as an interim head coach at his alma mater at the age of 21 and has international and national coaching experience.

Botsford was the lead recruiter at Notre Dame from February 2008 until July 2011, and his 2010 and 2011 classes were ranked 13th and 15th, respectively, nationally by media outlets. The Fighting Irish advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2009 after winning the Big East title and going undefeated through the conference schedule (14-0). In total, he coached two All-Americans and six All-Big East performers – including the 2010 Big East Freshman of the Year Andrea McHugh – during his time in South Bend.

Prior to his three plus years at Notre Dame, Botsford cultivated relationships with players and coaches throughout Florida, as he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Miami for nearly four years from June 2004 to February 2008. He helped solidify two of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in the relatively short history of the program, signing at least one top-100 rated player in each of his final three years and the first top-50 recruit for the Hurricanes.

During his time with Miami, Botsford coached two All-Americans and five All-ACC players. In addition, he recruited Lane Carico, who was named the 2011 ACC Player of the Year. Carico supplemented a core group of starters Botsford recruited who led Miami to three straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Botsford got his start in coaching by serving as the interim head coach for both the men’s and women’s volleyball programs at Tri-State from November 1998 through June 1999. He parlayed his experience in those roles into an assistant position at the University of Indianapolis where he was for one year (June 1999 - May 2000). His final stop before heading to the University of Miami was as an assistant at IUPUI from May 2001 until June 2004, coaching two-time Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year Rebekah Pallikan.

Outside of the collegiate landscape, Botsford also has a vast array of experience. In the year between his stints at Notre Dame and Colorado State, he was the head coach of Lindesberg Volley as part of Sweden’s Elite Series, leading the club to a first-ever league title and automatic representation in European Cup play. While with Lindesberg Volley from August 2011 through May 2012, he coached four players who went on to play for Sweden’s National Team.

The foray into Sweden wasn’t the first for Botsford as he played professionally with the Vingaker Volleyball Club in the country in 2002-03, the final of his three professional stints. In the collegiate offseason, he also played from 1998-2003 on beach tours with both the MPVA and the EVP, the latter of which named him the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2000.

Botsford was selected as an assistant coach for the 2007 USA Select Program, which trains elite volleyball players in preparation for the U.S. National Team. In his one year as part of the program, Botsford guided his team to a bronze medal in the HP Global Championships as the head coach of the USA Silver team.

Botsford was a two-year captain at Tri-State and graduated with a degree in social studies education and a minor in general science. Botsford was a two-year captain who graduated and was the program’s all-time leader in kills, digs and blocks when he graduated. He was named an All-American Scholar Athlete as a senior and was inducted into the Tri-State Hall of Fame in 2006. He received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Indianapolis in 2004.

Botsford and his wife, Lindsey, have a daughter, Harper and a son, Cache.

YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RECORD

YEAR	SCHOOL	RECORD	PCT	CONFERENCE	POSTSEASON
2014	FGCU	19-11	.633	11-3	N/A
2015	FGCU	21-11	.657	10-4	N/A
2016	FGCU	27-6	.818	11-3	N/A
2017	FGCU	22-10	.689	10-4	N/A
2018	FGCU	27-7 *#	.794	15-1	NCAA Second Round
2019	FGCU	27-5 *	.844	14-2	N/A
2020	FGCU	14-3 *	.824	10-2	N/A
2021	FGCU	27-6 *#	.818	15-1	NCAA Second Round
2022	FGCU	26-7 #	.789	13-3	NCAA First Round
2023	FGCU	26-7 *#	.789	15-1	NCAA First Round
2024	FGCU	27-5 *#	.844	15-1	NCAA First Round
2025	UCF	17-12	.706	8-10	N/A
at UCF	1 Season	17-12	.706	8-10	N/A
TOTAL	11 Seasons	280-90	.757	147-35	Five NCAA Tourney's

• - ASUN Conference Regular Season Champions
  # - ASUN Conference Tournament Champions
  ^ - Season played in spring 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic

AT UCF

Big 12 All-Conference	Avah Armour (1st Team - 2025), Alexa Haley (Rookie Team - 2025)
Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year	Avah Armour (2025)
Big 12 Player of the Week	Avah Armour ( Offensive - 10/28/25), Alexa Haley (Defensive - 11/11/25), Reaghan Thomspon (Defensive - 9/23/25 & 12/2/25)
AVCA All-American	Avah Armour (Honorable Mention - 2025)
AVCA All-Southeast Region	Avah Armour (1st Team - 2025)
CSC Academic All-American	Avah Armour (2nd Team - 2025)
CSC Academic All-District	Avah Armour (2025), Ella Chapman (2025), Abby Schomers (2025), Reaghan Thompson (2025)

AT FGCU

ASUN Regular Season Finishes	1st Place (2021 East Division, 2021>spring South Division, 2019, 2018, 2023), 2nd Place (2015, 2014, 2022), 3rd Place (2017, 2016)
ASUN Tournament Finishes	1st Place (2023, 2022, 2021, 2018), 2nd Place (2021>spring, 2019, 2017, 2016), Semifinalist (2015, 2014)
ASUN All-Conference Selections	First Team (21) - Juliana Lentz, Lily Tessier (2023), Lily Felts (2022), Cortney VanLiew (2021>spring, 2019, 2018), Chelsey Lockey (2021, 2021>spring, 2022), Erin Shomaker (2021, 2021>spring, 2022), Dana Axner (2019, 2018), Sharonda Pickering (2018), Amanda Carroll (2017, 2016), Daniele Serrano (2017), Maggie Rick (2016), Leigh Pudwill (2016), Eleonora Kazarian (2014), Olivia Mesner (2014) Second Team (17) - Alexandra Zakutney (2022) ,Juliana Lentz (2021), Dana Axner ( 2021>spring, 2022), Snowy Burnam (2019), Chelsey Lockey (2019), Maggie Rick (2018, 2017, 2015), Daniele Serrano (2019, 2018), Vanessa Benke (2015), Amanda Carroll (2015), Eleonora Kazarian (2015), Lauren Tutwiler (2015), Whitney Masters (2014), Gigi Meyer (2014) Third Team (1) - Ella Chapman (2023)
ASUN Player of the Year	6 - Lily Felts (2022), Erin Shomaker (2021, 2021>spring), Cortney VanLiew (2019, 2018), Amanda Carroll (2017)
ASUN Defensive Player of the Year	2 - Dana Axner (2019, 2018)
ASUN Setter of the Year	3 - Chelsey Lockey (2021>spring), Maggie Rick (2016), Gigi Meyer (2014)
ASUN Freshman of the Year	5 - Ella Chapman (2023), Erin Shomaker (2019), Dana Axner (2018), Snowy Burnam (2017), Amanda Carroll (2015)
ASUN All-Freshmen Team	15 - Ella Chapman (2023), Reese Burry (2023), Skylar English (2021), Juliana Lentz (2021>spring), Erin Shomaker (2019), Dana Axner (2018), Chelsey Lockey (2018), Tori Morris (2018), Snowy Burnam (2017), Cortney VanLiew (2017), Giovanna Borgiotti (2016), Daniele Serrano (2016), Amanda Carroll (2015), Maggie Rick (2015), Mackenzie Allen (2014)
ASUN All-Academic Team	16 - Erin Shomaker (2021, 2022), Dana Axner (2021, 2021>spring, 2022), Chelsey Lockey (2021>spring), Cortney VanLiew (2021>spring, 2019, 2018), Amanda Carroll (2017, 2016), Maggie Rick (2018, 2017, 2016), Leigh Pudwill (2016), Gigi Meyer
ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year	2 - Maggie Rick (2018), Amanda Carroll (2017)
ASUN Tournament MVP	5 - Lily Tessier (2023), Daniele Serrano (2018), Erin Shomaker (2021), Chelsey Lockey (2022)
ASUN All-Tournament Team	21 - Julianna Lentz (2022), Lily Felts (2022), Lauren Clark (2022), Chelsey Lockey (2022), Erin Shomaker (2021>spring, 2022), Aja Jones (2021>spring), Tori Morris (2019), Daniele Serrano (2018), Cortney VanLiew (2021, 2018), Dana Axner (2022, 2021, 2019, 2018), Amanda Carroll (2017, 2016, 2015), Snowy Burnam (2017), Maggie Rick (2016), Eleonora Kazarian (2014)
CoSIDA Academic All-District*	First Team (4) - Dana Axner (2020), Cortney VanLiew (2020, 2018), Amanda Carroll (2017)
CoSIDA Academic All-American*	1 - Dana Axner (2020, Third Team)
AVCA All-Region	First Team (6) - Lillt Tessier (2024), Erin Shomaker (2021), Dana Axner (2019), Cortney VanLiew (2018), Sharonda Pickering (2018), Amanda Carroll (2017) Honorable Mention (5) - Lily Felts (2022), Chelsey Lockey (2022), Erin Shomaker (2020), Cortney VanLiew (2019), Amanda Carroll (2016)
AVCA All-American	3 - Lily Felts (2022, Honorable Mention), Erin Shomaker (2020, Honorable Mention), Cortney VanLiew (2018, Honorable Mention)