The winningest volleyball coach in West Liberty history, Kayla Mull tips off her ninth season on the hilltop having turned the Lady Hilltopper program into a perennial Mountain East Conference contender and a force to be reckoned with in the Atlantic Region.
There’s plenty of excitement surrounding the 2020 campaign as the WLU women are coming off their fourth straight winning season – the first time that’s been accomplished on the hilltop since the 1980s. The 2019 Hilltoppers struggled a bit during the early going but righted the ship with a strong stretch drive, highlighted by a five-match winning streak in which they lost a total of just one game.
Mull became the first West Liberty volleyball coach to reach 100 career wins two years ago. Her 2018 Lady Hilltoppers broke into the NCAA Division II regional rankings for the first time in school history and finished as runners-up in the MEC standings.
Finishing only two wins shy of the school’s all-time win record at 24-10, they just missed earning an NCAA Tournament bid with a loss to nationally-ranked Wheeling Jesuit in an MEC Tournament semifinal.
Mull’s accomplishments have not gone unnoticed on the national stage. Following the 2018 season, she was the only NCAA Division II head coach named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s “30 Under 30” honor roll – an award created in 2009 to honor the top 30 young head coaches or assistant coaches from NCAA Division I through high school and club organizations.
The Johnstown, Pa. native came to the hilltop after two seasons as an assistant coach at Wheeling Jesuit. During her time with the Cardinals, Jesuit won back-to-back WVIAC championships and posted a sizzling 69-9 (.885) record – including a perfect 28-0 mark in league play. The 2011 Cardinal squad followed up its WVIAC title by winning the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region crown and earning a trip to the Elite Eight national championships in San Bernardino, Calif.
Mull played her college volleyball at Slippery Rock (Pa.) University, earning back-to-back PSAC Scholar-Athlete honors in 2006 and 2007. She also worked as an administrative assistant in the SRU athletic department while completing her degree. A 2010 graduate of Slippery Rock with a Marketing and Management degree, Mull also holds an MBA from Wheeling Jesuit.
The Hilltopper coach was a multi-sport athlete at Johnstown (Pa.) Bishop McCort High School. A three-year letterwinner and All-Conference standout in volleyball, Mull also earned two basketball letters and lettered one year with the track team.
Kayla and her husband, Noah, reside in Wheeling.
