The American Volleyball Coaches Association is pleased to announce its 2026 Hall of Fame class of Jenny McDowell, Candace Moats, Mark Pavlik and Mary Wise.
All four of these legendary collegiate coaches have made significant contributions to the sport across their careers. The inductions, which will bring the number of members in the AVCA Hall of Fame(opens in new tab) to 109, will take place Thursday, Dec. 17, during an awards banquet at the 2026 AVCA Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
JENNY McDOWELL
Jenny McDowell has made an indelible impact on the sport of volleyball in many ways. After a playing career at the University of Georgia that led to her jersey number being retired in 2017, she turned to coaching, and she enjoyed tons of success across 33 seasons on the sidelines.
She began as assistant at her alma mater, then became the head coach at Division III Emory University in March 1996. Her time was highlighted by the Eagles winning Division III national championships in 2008 and 2018 and making the NCAA postseason every year she was the head coach.
McDowell recorded 826 victories and .819 winning percentage at Emory, totals that are good for fifth and fourth all-time, respectively, in Division III history. She coached 52 AVCA All-Americans, including two AVCA Players of the Year and 85 All-Region selections. She also was the AVCA Division III Coach of the Year twice, and an AVCA Region Coach of the Year eight times.
After leading Emory for almost three decades, McDowell retired in 2023 and is the director of coach development with League One Volleyball (LOVB). In that position, she is responsible for training and educating LOVB club coaches.
“There are few coaches in any division that have had the overall success of Jenny McDowell,” said longtime Colorado College Coach Sharon Dingman. “However, her impact on our sport goes beyond the numbers. She has mentored so many coaches and players, touched thousands of others through camps, and now continues to influence and advocate for the sport through her job with League One Volleyball.”
CANDACE MOATS
Candace Moats continues to be one of the most influential collegiate volleyball coaches.
Now in her 25th season as the head women’s coach of Indiana Wesleyan University, she has helped the Wildcats become one of the preeminent NAIA volleyball programs. Her teams have back-to-back-to-back NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championships, something only three schools have done.
The accolades have followed Moats’ success. She is a two-time AVCA and NAIA Coach of the Year and four-time NCCAA Coach of the Year. Last season, she picked up her 1,050th coaching victory, and earlier this season she won her 750th match at Indiana Wesleyan.
Under her leadership, Indiana Wesleyan has won 13 conference regular season championships, 18 conference tournament championships, seven NCCAA regional championships, and seven NCCAA national titles.
“Beyond the championships and accolades, what truly separates Coach Moats is the culture she has built and the lives she has impacted,” said Ben Boldt, head women’s volleyball coach at Concordia University, Nebraska. “Her coaching philosophy reflects a deep commitment to servant leadership, character development, and faith-centered mentorship.”
Before taking the job at Indiana Wesleyan, Moats was the head coach at Crown College from 1984–94, then at Grace College from 1995–2001. She earned more than 300 victories between those two schools.
Beyond the sidelines, Moats has served on numerous committees, including being the NAIA representative on the AVCA Board of Directors from 2020 to 2025. She also has been a member of the NAIA Volleyball Committee—one year as president and another as vice president—and was the NAIA Region VIII Volleyball Chair for 10 years.
MARK PAVLIK
Earlier this year, after 32 seasons leading Penn State men’s volleyball, Mark Pavlik retired. The 2026 AVCA Hall of Famer leaves behind an immense legacy that embodies greatness.
He concluded his career with 716 wins, which is good for third all-time among NCAA men’s volleyball coaches. He achieved this at an impressive career winning percentage of .742 and led the Nittany Lions to the NCAA postseason play 25 times. The highwater mark came in 2008, when Penn State won the NCAA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship and Pavlik was named the AVCA Coach of the Year.
In Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play, Pavlik helped Penn State secure 26 conference tournament titles and was honored as the EIVA Coach of the Year 11 times, including following the 2026 season. He also coached two AVCA Players of the Year in Ivan Contreras (1997) and Matt Anderson (2008) and multiple players who have represented the U.S. at the Olympic Games.
“What separates Mark is the profound impact he has had on people,” said Jay Hosack, head men’s volleyball coach at George Mason University. “Generations of student-athletes left his program not only as better volleyball players, but as better men, leaders, professionals, husbands, and fathers. I have witnessed, first-hand, his ability to mentor young athletes through some of the most formative years of their lives is one of the defining characteristics of his career. The values of accountability, humility, toughness, preparation, and respect became foundational lessons for everyone fortunate enough to play for him.”
Off the court, Pavlik shown his dedication to the sport by serving as an AVCA Board of Directors member and chairman for the AVCA All-America committee.
MARY WISE
There aren’t many corners of the volleyball world that don’t know the name Mary Wise.
The longtime Florida coach has blazed a trail in many ways across her memorable coaching career, which has included her becoming the winningest female head coach at the Division women’s volleyball—1,068 victories.
Following her playing career at Purdue, she took the Iowa State women’s volleyball coaching job in 1981 at the age of 21, making her the youngest Division I coach in NCAA history at the time. After serving as an assistant coach at Kentucky under Kathy DeBoer, she took over at Florida prior to the 1991 season.
During her 34 seasons in Gainesville, Wise cemented herself as one of the greats, leading the Gators to 987 victories and an .834 winning percentage. She was the AVCA Division I Women’s Coach of the Year three times—1992, 1996, and 2017—and one of only three coaches to earn the award on three occasions. Her teams played in the NCAA postseason in each of her 34 years, making the national championship match twice and earning NCAA semifinal appearances eight times.
“For decades, she carried the responsibility and pressure of often being the first women—or the only woman—in rooms where leadership at the highest levels of collegiate athletics had historically been dominated by men,” said Shannon Wells, head coach of the University of Virginia volleyball team. “Her success, professionalism, and passion fundamentally changed what was possible for women in coaching.”
Wise’s impact on the sport is evident in other ways, as she inspired several assistants and players to pursue coaching careers and challenged the boundaries of volleyball to increase the sport’s overall national coverage, which she is part of now as an analyst for ESPN.
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Click here(opens in new tab) to see the full list of AVCA Hall of Fame members.