Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

Head Women’s Volleyball Coach | June 24, 2021 – Present

Ashley Harris was named head women’s volleyball coach at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College on June 24, 2021, and has helped elevate the Pomeroys into one of the top programs in the River States Conference.

In addition to leading the women’s volleyball program, Harris serves as SMWC’s Assistant Athletic Director for Scheduling and Senior Woman Administrator.

Harris made an immediate impact in her first season at SMWC, guiding the Pomeroys to a 15-14 overall record and a 6-11 mark during the program’s first season in the River States Conference in 2021. That same year, SMWC closed its final season competing in the USCAA with a national championship, going 4-0 at the national tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and defeating Bluefield State College 3-0 in the championship match. Hannah Zuege earned First-Team All-RSC honors and was also named a Second-Team All-Region selection.

The Pomeroys continued their rise in 2022, putting together one of the best seasons in program history. Behind a strong recruiting class and continued program development, SMWC finished 26-6 overall and 12-6 in River States Conference play, tying for the fourth-best record in the league.

Under the direction of Harris and associate head coach Ian Harris, the Pomeroys ranked fifth in the NAIA in service aces in 2022 with a school-record 283. Katelyn Bucy and Jade Llamas each surpassed the previous program record for service aces in a season. Zuege and Jocelyn Chavez earned First-Team All-RSC honors, with Zuege recording 337 kills, the fifth-best single-season total in program history, and Chavez finishing with 516 digs, the third-best mark in SMWC history.

In 2023, Harris led the Pomeroys to another record-setting campaign as SMWC won 28 matches and advanced to the quarterfinals of the River States Conference Tournament.

Harris continued to guide the program to historic heights in 2026, leading Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College to a 30-6 overall record and another standout postseason run. The Pomeroys earned the No. 2 seed in the River States Conference Tournament and advanced to the RSC Semifinals following a 3-1 quarterfinal victory over Shawnee State.

The 2026 season featured one of the most decorated groups in program history, with five Pomeroys earning All-RSC honors. Karla Melendez, Masa Pesic and Aden Britt were named to the All-RSC First Team, while Leishmarie Virella earned Second Team honors and Evelyn Morales received Third Team recognition.

Melendez became the first SMWC women’s volleyball player to be named River States Conference Player of the Year and also earned Third Team NAIA All-American honors, becoming the first student-athlete in SMWC history to earn NAIA All-American recognition in a women’s team sport. Morales also added academic recognition, earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors.

Throughout the 2026 season, Harris’ program collected numerous weekly awards from the River States Conference. Melendez was a four-time RSC Attacker of the Week, Pesic earned RSC Attacker of the Week honors three times, Britt was named RSC Setter of the Week three consecutive weeks in October and Virella was a two-time RSC Defender of the Week.

Experience

Harris came to SMWC from Berea College, where she had served as head volleyball coach since 2019. She left Berea as the winningest volleyball coach in the program’s NCAA era.

Prior to Berea, Harris was the head volleyball coach at Tennessee Wesleyan University, where she became the winningest volleyball coach in program history during her five seasons. Her teams set numerous school records, and in 2018, Tennessee Wesleyan finished fourth among NAIA programs with 317 blocks.

In 2017, Harris was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s prestigious “Thirty Under 30” list. Before her time at Tennessee Wesleyan, she served as an assistant coach at Maryville College in Tennessee.

Personal

Harris was born and raised in Abrams, Wisconsin, and played volleyball and softball at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. In volleyball, she was a four-year starter and served as team captain during her senior season, when she led the team in blocks and ranked second in kills.

She graduated from Cardinal Stritch in 2008 with a degree in sport management and a minor in communications.

Ashley and her husband, Ian, live in Terre Haute, Indiana, with their two daughters, Poppy Austinn Harris and Rayn Journi Harris.

Year-by-Year at SMWC

Career Record at SMWC: 131-40

Career Conference Record at SMWC: 54-32