Evan Amstutz Named Austin Peay’s 10th Head Volleyball Coach

CLARKSVILLE, T.N. – Austin Peay State University has named Evan Amstutz, who helped lead Stephen F. Austin to conference championships in three of the last five seasons, as its 10th head volleyball coach, Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison announced Wednesday.

"It is a great day to be a Gov and I am so excited to welcome Evan, his wife Molly, and their children Charlotte and Ryan to Austin Peay!" said Harrison. "Coach Amstutz has had success in every stop of his coaching career; he is an innovator and a tireless worker who will bring new energy to our volleyball program. He is a believer in the 'Total Gov Concept' and I know that his teams will not only shine on the volleyball court, but in the classroom and our community!"

Amstutz has spent the past five seasons at Stephen F. Austin, where he began as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach before the 2022 season. Before his time at SFA, Amstutz was an assistant coach at Angelo State for two seasons after serving as an assistant coach at Urbana during the 2017 season. Amstutz's first head coaching experience came when he launched the men's volleyball program at his alma mater Wittenberg and served as the program's first head coach from 2015-16.

Before returning to his alma mater, Amstutz was a volunteer assistant at Miami (Ohio) for two seasons; he began his collegiate volleyball coaching career as a student assistant coach at Wittenberg from 2011-12.

"What an amazing opportunity in front of us here in Clarksville!" said Amstutz. "My family and I would never get opportunities like this if it wasn't in God's plan for us and how he wants to use us. So many people played a part in this, but my wife takes the cake. She is everything to our family, and nothing big would ever happen without her love, support, and faith in this crazy profession of mine. She and our two kids are ready to sprint to the Dunn Center to get things started!

"I'd like to thank Stephen F. Austin head coach Debbie Humphreys for everything she's taught me, her mentoring and guidance, her trust in me with her team, and most importantly, our friendship. My mentors who came before SFA have shaped me in so many ways and have prepared me to serve a team in this role - Jesse Ortiz, Tim Balice, Chuck Waddington, Carolyn Condit, and Paco Labrador, to name just a few. The Nacogdoches, Texas, community will always hold a special place in my heart, and the friendships developed here will last a lifetime.

"We are ready to push Austin Peay volleyball to the next level, to accomplish amazing things, and to enjoy the ride. The Clarksville community, Austin Peay alumni, and fans all over will be proud of the volleyball team, how it competes, and the young professionals it graduates. Here we come! Let's Go Peay!"

In five seasons at Stephen F. Austin, Amstutz has helped the Ladyjacks to a 120-34 (.779) overall record and a 78-18 (.813) record during his three seasons since being promoted to associate head coach. With Amstutz on staff, SFA won the 2022 Western Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and the 2023 WAC Regular-Season Championship, advancing to the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualifier in 2022 and as an at-large for the first time in program history in 2023. Amstutz also helped the Ladyjacks win the 2020 Southland Conference Championship.

In five seasons, Amstutz mentored 16 all-conference selections, including four First Team All-WAC and one First Team All-SLC player. Amstutz also helped Ielan Bradley earn 2023 WAC Player of the Year honors, while Haley Hoang was named the 2022 WAC Libero of the Year. In addition, Bradley was named to the AVCA Southwest All-Region Honorable Mention Team in 2022 and 2024 and was an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention in 2023.

Before his time in Nacogdoches, Texas, Amstutz was an assistant coach at Angelo State and helped the Rambelles go 51-13 (.797) during his two seasons on staff. Angelo State went 29-3 during the 2019 season, won the Lone Star Conference Tournament, and advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament semifinals.

In just two seasons at Angelo State, Amstutz coached eight All-LSC selections, with seven earning First Team All-LSC honors. Amstutz also helped Audrey Fragniere earn AVCA All-America honors in 2018, with Meghan Parker, Kailyn Gilbreath, and Sundara Chinn earning the same recognition in 2019. In addition, Parker was the LSC Setter of the Year and Fragniere was the LSC Newcomer of the Year in 2018, while Gilbreath earned LSC Offensive Player of the Year in 2019.

In his lone season at Urbana in 2017, Amstutz helped the Blue Knights go 19-17 overall and post the best postseason finish in the program's Division II history with a trip to the Mountain East Conference semifinals. Amstutz mentored two All-MEC selections and one MEC All-Freshman Team honoree in his lone season in Urbana, Ohio.

Amstutz's first head coaching experience came in 2015-16, when he launched the Division II men's volleyball program at Wittenberg University. Amstutz led the Tigers to a 14-11 record in their inaugural season before going 14-18 during their second season in 2016. The Tigers picked up a three-set win over No. 7 Juniata, posted the highest winning percentage by a first-year program in league history, and received AVCA Top-15 votes in their inaugural season.

In addition, Amstutz helped seven Wittenberg student-athletes earn Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League All-Academic honors in the program's second season in 2016.

In two seasons at Miami (Ohio), Amstutz helped a turnaround that saw the RedHawks go from an 11th-place finish in the Mid-American Conference in 2013 to a second-place finish in 2014 with a 21-10 overall record and a 12-4 mark in the MAC. The RedHawks also made a run to the MAC Tournament Championship in 2014, where they fell to Western Michigan in three sets.

Amstutz began his coaching career as a student assistant coach with the Wittenberg women's volleyball team. In his first season with the program, the Tigers won the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship. The following season, the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament Regional Championship, where they dropped a three-set match to No. 1 Calvin.

A native of Toledo, Ohio, Amstutz earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Wittenberg in 2013 before earning a master's degree in kinesiology and health from Miami (Ohio) in 2015.

Amstutz's Coaching History

Dec. 4, 2024, Named Austin Peay Volleyball Head Coach
2022-24, Stephen F. Austin, Associate Head Coach
2020-21, Stephen F. Austin, Assistant Coach
2018-19, Angelo State, Assistant Coach
2017, Urbana, Assistant Coach
2015-16, Wittenberg, Men's Volleyball Head Coach
2013-14, Miami (Ohio), Volunteer Assistant Coach
2011-12, Wittenberg, Student Assistant Coach

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