Matt Werle Of GCU Takes His Talents To KU
Matt Werle spent 13 years at Grand Canyon coaching the men’s volleyball team and effective immediately he will be the women’s volleyball Associate Head Coach at Kansas. GCU assistant coaches Bryan Dell’Amico and Jon Girten will run the program for the rest of the 2025 season. “GCU will be in great hands moving forward. Responsibilities during matches will remain similar trying to eliminate any further change. Coach Girten, Coach Dell’Amico and Volunteer Coach Toben will take the best care of these athletes moving forward,” said Werle.
When Werle first arrived to GCU he was an assistant coach and eventually was elevated to the head coaching role. The Antelopes were in the MIVA when Werle started up as a head coach and they made the move to the MPSF.
At the beginning, Werle was taking a relatively young program trying to find their identity and battling top ten opponents on a nightly basis. Over the years with Werle’s passion, drive, grit and ability to recruit, the Antelopes were one of the top NCAA Division I-II programs in the country. In the 2024 and 2023 season Werle led the Antelopes to the NCAA tournament.
During the 2024 season GCU earned an AVCA number one ranking, their first program victory in the NCAA tournament and was named the MPSF and AVCA Coach of the Year. “The athletes have easily been the best part of GCU. It has been an absolute pleasure building the relationships with the athletes over the years and GCU giving me the opportunity to use volleyball as that platform to connect with them. It has allowed me to watch them become husbands and fathers. I was even given the privilege to officiate a couple of their weddings. The other thing that I will miss about GCU is the uphill battle. We never had the most nationally respected name in the men’s volleyball world, so it was also fun battling against the best,” said Werle.
Coach Werle was able to reflect on his time at GCU and discuss his decision why he selected to join the KU staff. “As hard as this was to leave GCU at this time, it is the right move for my career with trajectory of women’s volleyball. The support KU provides for their athletics and women’s volleyball is very special. What Matt Ulmer was able to do at Oregon was very special and I am extremely fortunate to learn from him moving forward. Not only is this the right move for my career, but this is such a positive move for my family. We have extended family in Kansas City along with more family two hours away. The staff is bringing nine kids to Lawrence all under the age of 11. A smaller town will be so healthy for our family!”
One of the many talented student-athletes that Werle brought to GCU expressed his gratitude to the coach, “Matt was one of the biggest reasons I came to GCU. He trusted me on the court, I had the most trust in him as a coach,” said Christian Janke, a four year starter for the Antelopes from 2019-2023 and 2022 second team AVCA All-American award winner.
Over the years Werle became a highly respected coach and continued to bring in top level recruits. “He let his players play and more trust was instilled in us over the years. Matt grew to realize how important the chemistry of the team was. The best years we had weren’t just because we had the best players, it was us becoming better teammates and not relying on Matt to hold us accountable,” said Janke.
Prior to coaching Werle was a setter at the Division III men’s volleyball powerhouse Juniata College. In his senior season, Werle went up in the NCAA championship against Carthage College, who was led by setter Matt Ulmer. Ulmer’s squad jumped out to a two set to zero lead. Werle and his Eagle teammates shifted the momentum of the match and won the NCAA championship with a reverse sweep! Werle and Ulmer gained appreciation of each other and kept in touch after that match.
Ulmer landed a great opportunity to be on the Long Beach State’s women’s volleyball staff. While at Long Beach Ulmer coached outside hitter Sarah Clause, who is now happily married to Matt Werle with two children, Palmer and Krew.
At Long Beach, Ulmer found success coaching indoor as an assistant for five seasons and won a 2013 national championship as the beach volleyball head coach. While at Oregon he spent his time as an assistant and was promoted to the head coaching role in 2017. During his time as the head coach at Oregon, Ulmer had immediate success. He had a .683 winning percentage and led the Ducks to seven NCAA tournament appearances and went to three Elite Eights.
After the legendary Ray Burchard announced that he was retiring from Kansas University, Director of Athletics Travis Goff went on a national search to find the Jayhawks’ next head coach. With Ulmer’s track record as a head coach KU was thrilled to hire him. Quickly Ulmer started putting together his staff and he wanted to make a splashy hire. “Coach Matt Werle was a bucket list hire for me. He is a talented coach, I knew I would be lucky to work with him if the timing was right,” said Ulmer.
The Kansas staff is now complete under the guidance of Head Coach Matt Ulmer. Erika Dillard (Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator), Matt Werle (Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator), Arica Nassar (Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator), Maggie Bowen (Director of Operations) and Tori Miller-Hohlios (Technical Coordinator).
Over the past decade there seems to be a trend of women’s volleyball programs hiring coaches on the men’s side. Ulmer went that route and explained what Werle is going to be doing with the Jayhawks,
“Matt Werle is one of the best head coaches in the country. He will dabble into everything in our program. I expect him to quickly acclimate to the women’s game. In the gym I am excited to see what he can implement to our offense.”
Coach Werle is fired up and up to the task of getting the Jayhawks to be one of the best offenses in the country. “Coach Ulmer has brought me on to help run the offense. He and I were both collegiate setters, so there will be a lot of collaboration moving forward. I hope to bring a fast tempo offense with balance and a strategic plan. GCU’s offense is something that we were known for, so I hope we can create some similar excitement to the KU offense,” said Werle.
On a personal note, I have been around Coach Werle and followed his team for years. Werle recruited heavily out of San Diego, CA and I coached many of his student-athletes that were on the 2023 and 2024 squad. He was always professional, driven and worked hard on the recruiting trail. When I checked in with my former athletes at GCU they always spoke highly of Coach Werle. Job well done Coach Ulmer, you made a homerun hire with Matt Werle. Coach Werle, I tip my hat to you and wish you the best of luck at KU. Rock Chalk Jayhawk Coach Werle!
What They Are Saying About Coach Werle:
“There is not a doubt in my mind that Matt will excel in every category as a coach at Kansas. That team is destined for success the second he walks in the door. Couldn’t be prouder and more excited for him to do what is best for him and his family. Matt deserves it all for all that he has done for us,” said Christian Janke.
“Watching Matt move on to Kansas University Women’s Volleyball fills me with immense pride. Not only has he been a very close friend, but working alongside him in USAV has been one of the highlights of my career. His impact on the men’s game and at GCU will certainly be missed, but Coach Ulmer and Kansas are lucky to have someone as dedicated, passionate, and talented as Matt. Wishing him, Sarah, and the kids all the best on this exciting new chapter! Keep a room open for Julie and I to visit! I am now a new fan of Jayhawk Volleyball,” said John Hawks, UCLA Head Coach.
“Matt did a fantastic job at GCU. He built that program all the way up to the top. His loyalty to the program and diligent work certainly made a huge impact on GCU, Arizona volleyball and men’s volleyball. At Kansas his values match really well. Matt Ulmer is also a fantastic coach. They will do great things there to continue to build an elite program in a hotbed of volleyball talent in Kansas. They can teach the game, see it creatively as it’s played at the highest levels and are proven to recruit top talent. They are well positioned to succeed there for a long time,” said Jonathan Winder, Pepperdine Head Coach.
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