A 1998 graduate of Ball State University, Corey Carlin enters his fourth season as an assistant women's volleyball coach at his alma mater in 2013. Over his first three seasons, Carlin has helped the Cardinals return to championship form with one league title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
In his first season on the Ball State bench, Carlin helped guide the Cardinals to the program's eighth Mid-American Conference Regular Season Championship and a 24-5 (14-2 MAC) record in 2010. BSU's .828 winning percentage for the year was the third-best in program history and ranked 17th in the nation among the 328 NCAA Division I Programs.
He helped coach four players to All-MAC accolades in 2010, with Alyssa Rio and Kelsey Brandl earning All-MAC First Team and Brittany McGinnis and Whitney Heeres garnering All-MAC Second Team honors.
In 2011, Carlin helped coach the Cardinals back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2002 season as Ball State earned the program's second-ever at-large bid into the 64-team event. BSU finished the season with a 25-8 (12-4 MAC) record and ranked 36th in the NCAA Women's Volleyball RPI rankings among the 327 NCAA Division I programs. Ball State also received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Coaches poll for the first time since the 1995 season.
Carlin also helped coach a school-record four student-athletes to All-MAC First Team accolades during the 2011 season, with Brandl, Jennifer Boyd, Kara Bates and Catie Fredrich all picking up the honor. Boyd would go on to earn Academic All-MAC honors, while Bates was named to the MAC All-Tournament Team marking BSU's first all-tournament selection since the 2005 season.
In 2012, Carlin helped Bates pick up her second consecutive All-MAC First Team honor, while senior transfer Lisa Scott also earned a spot on the league’s top squad. In addition, freshman Jenna Spadafora earned recognition on the MAC All-Freshman Team.
Carlin is a 1998 graduate of Ball State University and brings with him 11 years of collegiate coaching experience, including nine years at the NCAA Division I level and two years as the head coach at Austin Peay.
"It's an honor to have someone as well-rounded as Corey join our staff," said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "Corey has a wealth of knowledge as both a Division I head coach and assistant coach. I am also excited to bring a member of the Ball State volleyball family back home. Being a BSU graduate, Corey has experienced the rich tradition of Ball State volleyball and has a real passion to help bring our program back into the national spotlight."
Prior to joining the Ball State staff, Carlin spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky University where he was involved with all duties of daily operations for the program, including serving as the primary recruiter and overseeing academic progress. This past season, Carlin helped coach Lauren Snyder and Abby O'Connor to Second Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors, with Snyder also earning OVC All-Newcomer Team accolades. The program also finished the 2009-10 academic year with a 3.37 grade-point average, which was the second-highest average among all EKU athletic teams.
"I am thrilled to be working alongside Steve and Kelli as a member of the Ball State women's volleyball staff," said Carlin. "One of my goals has been to come back and coach at Ball State, and I truly appreciate Steve giving me this great opportunity. I take a lot of pride in being a BSU alumnus and look forward to helping our program represent the university in a positive manner both on the court and in the classroom."
Prior to joining the Eastern Kentucky staff for the 2008 season, Carlin spent five years at Austin Peay, including serving as the program's head coach for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. As the Governors' head coach, Carlin helped the program achieve a perfect NCAA Academic Progress Rate for the 2005-06 season, while administering all aspects of the program.
In his final season as head coach, Carlin helped tutor Dodi Szymsha to OVC All-Newcomer Team accolades. In his first season as the program's head coach, his team established top 10 statistical marks in seven categories in the Austin Peay record books, including top five efforts in total blocks and blocks per game.
As Austin Peay's assistant coach for the 2002-04 seasons, Carlin helped Sarah Schranmka become just the eighth First Team All-OVC selection in program history, when she earned the award in 2004. He also helped Amy Walk earn both Second Team All-OVC and All-OVC Honorable Mention accolades in 2003 and 2002, respectively.
Carlin's first collegiate coaching break came in 1998, when he was named the first assistant at Tarleton State University. After two seasons with the TexAnns, Carlin was named the top assistant coach at Evansville, where he spent 2000 and 2001. Carlin also served as the director of the MidSouth Volleyball Academy from 2004-2008 after co-founding the club.
From 1996-1998, Carlin was the head coach of the Ball State University men's club team, where he helped guide the program to a 22-10 record in his final season, including a second-place finish at the prestigious Michigan State Men's Club Volleyball Spring Tournament.
Carlin earned his bachelor's degree in general studies with an emphasis in sports administration from Ball State in May of 1998. He earned his master's degree in physical education in May of 2000 from Tarleton.
