BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Coming off its best Division I season finish in program history—third in the Big South—the Gardner-Webb University Volleyball team is eager to make its own records in 2024. A new coaching staff, six returning players and 11 new Runnin' Bulldogs are set to take the court this week with a scrimmage on Aug. 23 at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C.
Head Coach
Alex Hinsey enters his first season at the helm in Boiling Springs. His new assistant, Matt Hamilton, jointed GWU after two seasons at Millersville University.
Gardner-Webb plays a total of 28 matches this season. The team has four weekend tournaments scheduled at Norfolk State, Appalachian State, UNC-Wilmington/Coastal Carolina and George Mason.
The first home game in Paul Porter Arena will be on Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. against Furman. The slate of 14 conference games begins on Sept. 28 in a match at home against Winthrop.
One of the returning players is setter
Morgan Hornaday, who was named to the All-Academic Team last season after posting a 3.97 GPA pursing a degree in exercise science. Hornaday also ranked first on the team in assists per set with 5.25 and second on the team in total assists with 310.
Hinsey spent the last four seasons as head coach at the University of Mary Washington (UMW) in Fredericksburg, Va. In his 11 years of coaching experience, he has garnered multiple awards and built winning programs at the scholastic and college levels. In 2023, UMA closed its season with a record 30-5. In 2022, the team also won the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference title and ended its season 26-8 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. In his first season at UMW, Hinsey led the team to the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference finals.
Matt Hamilton served as an assistant volleyball coach and recruiting coordinator at Millersville. Before that, he was head men's and women's volleyball coach at Elizabeth College where he had an overall coaching record of 69-25 with the women's program posting the highest winning percentage (.734) in program history. He led the Blue Jays to three consecutive 20-win seasons, all including a berth in the postseason.
Volleyball Schedule
- Aug. 23 – 6 p.m. at Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, N.C. (Scrimmage)
- Aug. 30 – Norfolk (Va.) State Tournament
- Aug. 30 – 10 a.m., Norfolk State
- Aug. 30 – 3:30 p.m., Miami of Ohio
- Aug. 31 – 10 a.m., Lamar
- Sept. 6 – Mountaineer Classic Tournament, Boone, N.C.
- Sept. 6 – 1 p.m. at Kennesaw
- Sept. 6 – 4:30 p.m., East Tennessee State
- Sept. 7 – 3 p.m. Appalachian State
- Sept. 10 – 6 p.m. vs. Furman
- Sept. 12-13 – UNC-Wilmington/Coastal Carolina Invitational Tournament
- Sept. 12 – 7 p.m. at Coastal Carolina, Conway, S.C.
- Sept. 13 – 3 p.m., UNC-Charlotte, at Wilmington, N.C.
- Sept. 13 – 6 p.m., UNC-Wilmington, at Wilmington
- Sept. 20 – Patriot Invitational, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.
- Sept. 20 – 10 a.m., Fairleigh Dickinson University
- Sept. 20 – 4 p.m., Morgan State
- Sept. 21 – 5 p.m., George Mason
- Sept. 28 – 2 p.m. vs. Winthrop
- Oct. 4 – 6 p.m. at USC-Upstate, Spartanburg, S.C.
- Oct. 5 – 2 p.m. at UNC-Asheville
- Oct. 11 – 6 p.m. at Charleston Southern, Charleston, S.C.
- Oct. 12 – 2 p.m. at Presbyterian
- Oct. 18 – 6 p.m., vs. High Point
- Oct. 19 – 2 p.m. vs. Radford
- Oct. 25 – 6 p.m. vs. Presbyterian
- Oct 26 – 2 p.m. vs. Charleston Southern
- Nov. 1 – 6 p.m. vs. Radford
- Nov. 2 – 2 p.m. at High Point University
- Nov. 8 – 6 p.m. vs. UNC-Asheville
- Nov. 9 – 2 p.m. vs. USC-Upstate
- Nov. 15 – 6 p.m. at Winthrop, Rock Hill, S.C.
- Nov. 22 and 23—Big South Conference
For more information on the Gardner-Webb volleyball team, fans can follow the team on X at @GWU_VB or on Instagram @gwu_vb.
