WISE -- The University of Virginia's College at Wise (UVA Wise) Director of Athletics Kendall Rainey announced Tuesday the hiring of Alexis Ivey as the new Head Volleyball Coach. Ivey comes to Wise from Converse University in Spartanburg, S.C. where she was the head volleyball coach for four years.
Ivey led Converse to two consecutive 20-win seasons in 2024 and 2025. The Valkyries won the Conference Carolinas Championship in 2024 and earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance. Ivey led her team to the Northwest Division title in 2025 and a second overall finish in Conference Carolinas. They also appeared in the Southeast Regional Rankings twice during the 2025 season and finished 10th in region RPI.
During her tenue at Converse she coached multiple All-Conference performers including Mackenzie Day who was D2CAA third team All-America and Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, and her teams have ranked nationally in several statistical categories including fourth in digs, 12th in service aces, and 23rd in kills in 2024.
Prior to Converse, Ivey served as head volleyball coach at USC-Salkehatchie and as an assistant volleyball coach at Greensboro College. She has also coached club volleyball for Champion Volleyball Club and currently the Stars Carolinas 15 Boys.
"It is an exciting time for our volleyball program. We are thrilled to welcome Coach Ivey to UVA Wise. Coach Ivey is a competitor and her success in the NCAA DII Southeast Region, her determination, and her plans for the program align perfectly with our vision of continuing to elevate UVA Wise volleyball," stated Rainey.
Ivey said, "I'm extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to join UVA Wise. I want to thank Dr. Rainey for this opportunity and trusting me to lead the volleyball program. I am thrilled to be a part of the future of Cavalier volleyball, and I'm eager to get to work supporting our student-athletes as we continue to build toward greater competitive success. I can't wait to get started!"
Ivey is a native of Raleigh, N.C. and competed at Lenoir-Rhyne University where she earned a B.S. in Exercise Science and B.A in Sport Management. During her playing career as a middle blocker she ranked in the top of the SAC in blocks per set.
Rainey continued, "Coach Ivey is a passionate leader and we are eager for her to guide the next phase of Highland Cavalier volleyball."
UVA Wise partnered with Mammoth Sports Consulting to assist in the search for its new head volleyball coach. Mammoth Vice President Dr. Kurt Patberg led the search effort.
She becomes the twelfth head coach in the history of the program, which was started in 1969 and later revived in 1992 after a hiatus.
A public liberal arts college located in Wise, Virginia, UVA Wise fields 17 intercollegiate athletic teams competing in the NCAA Division II and the South Atlantic Conference.
