UO Locks in Ulmer as Volleyball Coach Through 2021
11/30/17 | Women's Volleyball
After leading Oregon volleyball to its seventh straight NCAA Tournament in his first season, Matt Ulmer agrees to a deal that will keep him as the Ducks’ head coach through at least 2021.
EUGENE, Ore. - The University of Oregon has signed Matt Ulmer to a four-year contract to remain the head coach of the Oregon volleyball program, director of athletics Rob Mullens announced on Thursday.
Ulmer's contract is for four years starting at $150,000 and will keep him at the helm of the Ducks through at least the 2021 season. Ulmer took over as Oregon's head coach prior to the start of this season on a one-year deal after serving as an assistant the previous three years.
"Matt brings tremendous energy to our volleyball program, and he has created a positive and successful culture for our student-athletes on the team," said Mullens. "We are proud to name Matt as our permanent head volleyball coach, and we look forward to his continued enthusiasm and impact in fostering a first-class student-athlete experience for our volleyball team."
The announcement comes on the eve of the Ducks' first round NCAA Tournament match against Kennesaw State in Provo, Utah, at 3 p.m. (ESPN3, TheW.tv).
In his first season as head coach, Ulmer guided the Ducks to a 17-11 record in the regular season, 10-10 in Pac-12 play. In his first match, Ulmer led Oregon to an upset of then-No. 5 Nebraska in the VERT Challenge, the first top-five win for the program since 2012 and the first of four wins over ranked opponents in 2017.
"I want to thank Rob Mullens, President Michael Schill and Lisa Peterson for believing in my passion and vision for the future of Oregon volleyball," Ulmer said. "My family and I love living in Eugene and being Ducks, and we're so excited."
Ulmer also brought in an elite recruiting class for the 2018 season, signing five total players and three Under Armour first-team all-Americans, the most of any program in the nation. The class also includes setter Kylie Robinson, who at No. 8 on the prepvolleyball.com senior aces list is the highest-ranked recruit in program history.
"The University of Oregon provides the best student-athlete experience in the country and will continue to do so," said Ulmer. "It's a great time to be a Duck, and I couldn't be more excited to continue to work with our current and future student-athletes."
