Bio

In 11 seasons as head volleyball coach, Matt Jennings has orchestrated an impressive rebuilding of the Michigan Tech volleyball program. Under Jennings, the Huskies have gone from last place in the conference to nationally ranked and consistently in the NCAA Tournament. Jennings coached the Huskies to four straight NCAA tournament appearances from 2017-21 and has twice been named the GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2019.

Under Jennings’ leadership, Michigan Tech volleyball has established itself as a competitive presence in the midwest region and within the GLIAC conference. The Huskies are 84-26 (76%) in the GLIAC over the past seven seasons and 139-62 overall (70%). Tech won back-to-back GLIAC Regular Season Championships in the spring and fall of 2021, hanging conference championships banner for only the second and third time in program history. They’ve finished in first in the conference standings twice and have reached the GLIAC Championship four of the past six seasons. Entering his 12th season, Jennings has an overall record of 191-129 (60%) and 116-66 (64%) in GLIAC play.

In addition to his responsibilities with Husky Volleyball, Jennings currently chairs the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Women's Volleyball Committee (until 2025) and is the region’s representative on the NCAA Division II National Women's Volleyball Committee. As chair, Jennings facilitates the selection and seeding of teams for play in the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional. With his seat on the National Women’s Volleyball Committee, Jennings works with other members on the selection and seeding of teams for play in the NCAA Championship for all regions and had national tournament event management responsibilities as well. The work of the National Committee is also to advise the NCAA on legislation related to the sport and championships. Previously he served on the Midwest RAC and has represented the GLIAC as a voter on the American Volleyball Coaches Association's Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.

Jennings has both teaching and administration roles in addition to his work with volleyball. He currently teaches Sports Psychology in the university’s Department of Kinesiology and Integrated Physiology and assists with the administration of the athletic department’s Student Leadership Academy. 

The Huskies’ recent success has been driven in part by one of the highest-rated offenses in DII volleyball. They’ve been ranked top fifteen nationally in assists per set, kills per set, and hitting efficiency in each of the past five seasons. In 2018 the Huskies were ranked No. 1 in the GLIAC in kills, kills per set, hitting percentage, points per set, assists per set, digs per set, and aces per set.  

Jennings was named the seventh volleyball coach in Michigan Tech history on January 27, 2012, after serving as both a head and assistant coach, which most recently included a five-year stretch as an assistant and recruiting coordinator at the Division I level. Directly preceding his start at Tech, he served three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh, formerly of the Big East, and current member of the ACC.

The 2022 Huskies won 20 matches for the fifth time under Jennings with a 20-10 overall record and an 11-7 mark in the GLIAC. Carissa Beyer was named to the All-GLIAC First Team, Lina Espejo-Ramirez, and Jillian Kuizenga were named to the All-GLIAC Second Team, and Janie Grindland was named All-GLIAC Honorable Mention. Beyer also received the GLIAC Commissioner’s Award after she broke the Michigan Tech record for digs per set in a season at 5.12. Her career digs per set (4.73) also set a new school record.

The 2021 team had a 25-7 overall record and finished ranked No. 22 in the final AVCA Top 25 poll. The Huskies won the GLIAC Regular Season Championship for the second straight season and the third time in program history. They went to their fourth straight NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Midwest Regional Semifinal for the fifth time in school history.

Laura De Marchi was named the GLIAC representative for the NCAA Woman of the Year and was an Academic All-American. De Marchi and Anna Jonynas were named AVCA All-Americans and De Marchi was the AVCA Midwest Region Player of the Year. Five Huskies received All-GLIAC Honors with Anna Jonynas being named the GLIAC Player of the Year, the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year, and on the All-GLIAC First Team. Laura De Marchi was the GLIAC Setter of the Year and on the All-GLIAC First Team. Olivia Ghormley (First Team) Carissa Beyer (Second Team), and Jillian Kuizenga (Honorable Mention) rounded out GLIAC awards. De Marchi broke the school and GLIAC record for career assists. Ghormley (kills) and Megan Utlak (digs) also became the school’s all-time leaders in their primary statistic.

After a postponement of the fall 2020 season due to COVID-19, the Huskies went 11-4 overall and 9-3 in GLIAC play during the spring 2021 season. Tech won a share of the GLIAC Regular Season Championship and was the No. 1 seed in the GLIAC Tournament, ultimately falling in the championship. There was no NCAA Tournament in 2020-21.

Laura De Marchi was named the 2021 GLIAC Player of the Year, GLIAC Setter of the Year, and to the All-GLIAC First Team after leading the nation in assists per set (12.72). She was also honored as CoSIDA Academic All-District. Olivia Ghormley was the GLIAC Attacker of the Year and All-GLIAC First Team. Anna Jonynas (First Team), Megan Utlak (Second Team), Janie Grindland (Second Team), and Jillian Kuizenga (Honorable Mention) were also all-conference picks. Jonynas was named the AVCA National Player of the Week in April.

The 2019 team went to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season and advanced with the first NCAA win since 1995. Tech was ranked in the Top 25 in eight polls in 2019 and climbed as high as No. 20 on November 5. The Huskies finished last season with a 24-8 overall record, winning the most matches since 1996 and the most under the Coach Jennings era. The Black and Gold went 13-3 in the GLIAC to finish second in the standings. The 2019 season tied the program record for most consecutive winning seasons with 5.

The Huskies collected a number of awards in 2019. Matt Jennings was named GLIAC Coach of the Year. Laura De Marchi was named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, All-Midwest Region by the AVCA and D2CCA, CoSIDA Academic All-District, the GLIAC Setter of the Year, and to the All-GLIAC First Team and received a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award. Olivia Ghormley was named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, D2CCA Honorable Mention All-American, All-Midwest Region by the AVCA, and D2CCA, GLIAC Attacker of the Year, and All-GLIAC First Team. MacAulay Petersen earned All-GLIAC Second Team Honors and Megan Utlak received All-GLIAC Honorable Mention honors.

The 2018 Huskies continued to build on the positive momentum from the year before and finished with a 23-7 overall record and 14-2 in the GLIAC. The 14 conference wins were the second-most in program history. Jennings led the Huskies to its second straight NCAA tournament in 2018 as the No. 5 seed in the regional tournament. Regionally ranked as high as No. 4, the Huskies cracked the AVCA Top 25 for the first time since 2009, spending a total of five weeks ranked either No. 24 or No. 25 and spending another six weeks receiving votes. A home sweep of Grand Valley in the GLIAC quarterfinals marked the second year in a row the Huskies advanced to the conference semifinal match.

Olivia Ghormley (Third Team) and Laura De Marchi (Honorable Mention) earned AVCA All-American honors. Ghormley earned her first All-GLIAC honors after leading the league in kills and points per set. Her 518 kills ranked fifth-most in program history and was good enough to be the first Husky to be named the GLIAC Attacker of the Year. De Marchi led the league in assists again as a sophomore and was named GLIAC Setter of the Year for the second straight season. Three Huskies were named First Team All-GLIAC, the highest season total in program history. Olivia Ghormley, Laura De Marchi, and Mariah Sherman were named first-team, the latter two for the second consecutive season. Sherman graduated ranked No. 6 in the record books for total career kills.

Coach Jennings and the Huskies went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time together in 2017. They finished with a 12-4 record in conference play and a 20-11 record overall. They beat No. 6 seed Tiffin at home in the first round of the GLIAC tournament and then knocked out Northern Michigan in the semifinals to advance to the conference championship match for the third time in program history. They fell to Ferris State in the championship match in Big Rapids.

Freshman Laura De Marchi was named the program’s first-ever GLIAC Setter of the Year. She was also voted GLIAC Freshman of the Year and All-GLIAC First Team. De Marchi led the most productive offense in the GLIAC, which topped the league in hitting percentage (.236), assists per set (13.45), and kills per set (14.03). Junior Mariah Sherman was also named All-GLIAC First Team and Sophomore MacAuley Peterson was named All-GLIAC Second Team. Senior Elle Heinonen earned All-GLIAC Honorable Mention, finishing her career as the all-time leader in digs per set.

2016 saw the Huskies finish 11-6 in conference play and in a tie for fourth place in the year-end standings. After playing one of the most difficult overall schedules in the country (No. 8 - NCAA.com), the Huskies found themselves in the Midwest Regional rankings for the first time in eight years, ending the season ranked No. 10. The 2016 campaign ended with a five-set loss in the GLIAC quarterfinal match at Saginaw Valley State, leaving the Huskies with an overall record of 16-15 on the year.

2015 was an important season for Jennings’ Huskies, one that included a school-record 10-match winning streak to begin the season and a spot in the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since 2009. The Huskies finished 19-12 overall and 10-8 in the GLIAC, finishing the regular season in a tie for seventh place and the No. 8 seed in the GLIAC Tournament. Wins included the first road win over rival Northern Michigan in 23 years (3-0, September 29). Libero Jackie Aird (First Team All-GLIAC) became the first player in school history to record 500 or more digs in a single season, finishing with 529. She finished her career as the program's all-time leader in digs (1,882) and digs-per-set (4.44).

The 2014 season featured a roster of nine freshmen and sophomores, four juniors, and no seniors. At 8-10 in GLIAC play and 11-16 overall, the Huskies were left out of the postseason by two wins. Half of their conference losses were in five sets. Lauren Emmert and Jackie Aird both were named all-conference.

In his first two seasons in Houghton, the new-look Huskies won more matches than the team had over the three seasons prior to his arrival combined. Having inherited a team that went 0-19 in conference play in 2011, Jennings directed a 7-11 GLIAC and 12-19 overall finish in 2012, the best single-year improvement in the league. In 2013, then-senior setter Maddie Haben was voted to the All-GLIAC Second Team.

Academically, the Tech volleyball team has continued to excel under the leadership of Jennings and his staff. During the 2022-23 school year, the team earned the national AVCA Academic Excellence Award for the 11th year in a row. Most recently, the team earned a 3.5 GPA during the 2022-23 academic year. Over 96 Huskies have been named to the GLIAC Academic All-Excellence and All-Academic teams over the last 11 seasons. Coach Jennings has graduated nearly all his players during his tenure at Tech, 98 percent of his graduates have finished with a 3.0 or higher.

Before making the move to the U.P., Jennings served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh. He worked extensively with the outside hitters and the team’s backcourt, with a focus on serve-receive and defensive systems. The Panthers compiled a 51-44 overall record during his three years there including a 20-win season in 2009 and an 18-win campaign in 2011. Pitt reached the conference postseason tournament all three seasons that Jennings was there. In 2009, the Panthers entered the postseason with a 12-2 Big East record and in second place.

Jennings probably made his biggest mark at Pitt as the program's recruiting coordinator. While directing the program’s overall recruiting efforts, he orchestrated back-to-back nationally-ranked incoming classes in 2011 and 2012 (prepvolleyball.com). In those two years, Pitt landed four Illinois All-State selections, five high school All-Americans, and four AAU National Champions thanks to Jennings’ recruiting. In his three seasons on staff, Pitt produced several highly decorated players, both athletically and academically, including five AVCA All-American or All-American Honorable Mention selections, six All-Big East selections, including the Big East Player of the Year and the Big East Libero of the Year, an ESPN Academic All-American and the 2009 Big East Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Since leaving Pitt to come to Tech, several of Jennings’ recruits have gone on to earn collegiate beach All-American honors, All-Big East and All-ACC honors, and a stint with the US Collegiate National Team. Five players recruited to Pitt by Jennings played or are currently playing professionally in Europe.

While in Pittsburgh, Jennings also served as a head coach at the Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball Club for three seasons with the 18-premier and 17-premier teams. 

Jennings worked for a season at DePaul University, in his hometown of Chicago, prior to heading to Pittsburgh. He was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the Blue Demons’. He spent the 2008 campaign as an assistant women’s coach at Eastern Kentucky, again as the program’s primary recruiter, with a focus on training the team’s backcourt and outsides.

Along with his time at the college and club levels, Jennings has been part of two international travel teams. In June of 2008, Jennings was selected to lead the USA Athletes International Men’s Team in the Scottish Open Volleyball Tournament in Perth, Scotland. Having never played before the trip, his team went on to win the tournament with an undefeated record and a victory over the Scottish National Team in the final match. In the summer of 2013, Jennings took a similar group to the Netherlands where he led the team to another tournament championship at the DKV Tournament in Groningen.

The Chicago native played men’s volleyball at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, from 2000-03. Jennings was a two-time team captain and a four-year starter for the Vikings; playing outside for three seasons and switching to setter for his sophomore season. He helped his team to four consecutive top-ten finishes at the NIRSA national tournament, including a national third-place finish in 2002 and a spot on the national championship all-tournament team.

Jennings began his coaching career at NAIA member St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. From 2004-06, he served as the head men’s volleyball coach and head women’s junior varsity volleyball coach. He helped his men’s team to a conference runner-up finish and top-10 national ranking in 2005. With a 19-player recruiting class in 2006, Jennings set the team on a course that saw a once-struggling program reach the top tier of the NAIA. St. Ambrose has experienced a decade of winning since, including three national runner-up finishes and a conference championship.

Jennings earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and political science from Augustana College (Illinois) in 2003 and received his master of business administration (MBA) from St. Ambrose in 2006. He has spent time working in the financial industry as a credit manager for Wells Fargo and an associate business analyst for the Northern Trust Company in downtown Chicago.

Jennings’ family has deep roots in college sports, athletics, and coaching. His grandfather, Jack, was the 21st pick of the 1950 NFL draft and spent eight seasons on the offensive line for the Chicago Cardinals. Jack played college football at Ohio State, where he was part of their 1949 Rose Bowl championship. Jennings’s mom, Terry, was a three-sport athlete at Wisconsin-Whitewater and was for a short time a coach and athletic director at Elgin Academy near Chicago.  Jennings’ late father Mike also coached for Elgin Academy. His sister, Kelly, was a four-year starter and All-Conference setter at Eastern Kentucky University, where she still holds program-setting records. She went on to coach club and high school volleyball in south Florida, where she eventually served as athletic director at Marco Island Charter School.  

Jennings and his wife, Mary, were married on July 11, 2015, in Copper Harbor, Michigan. Mary is the Director of Programming and Community Outreach at the Rozsa Center for Performing Arts at Michigan Tech and is an artistic collaborator with the university’s Visual and Performing Arts Department. She also is an experienced yoga instructor. They reside in Houghton together with their five-year-old son, Jack Henry, four-year-old daughter Elleanor, baby boy Connor, and their dog, Jade.