Clarksville, Tennessee – Austin Peay State University (APSU) Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison on Tuesday named Michael Hobson as the third head beach volleyball coach in the program's history.
“This is truly an amazing day as Governor!” said Harrison. “I am thrilled to welcome our new Head Beach Volleyball Coach, Michael Hobson, and his wife, Zephyr, to Clarksville. Coach Hobson has had great success throughout his coaching career at both the professional and collegiate levels. He embodies the 'Total Government Concept,' and I can't wait to see his team in action on the sand, in the classroom, and throughout the Clarksville and Montgomery County communities!”
Hobson brings more than 10 years of professional and collegiate coaching experience to Clarksville, most recently serving as the head beach volleyball coach at Louisiana-Monroe where he led the Warhawks to 47 wins over the past two seasons.
“I would like to thank Dr. Michael Licari and Gerald Harrison for the amazing opportunity to lead the Austin Peay State University beach volleyball team,” said Hobson. “Zephyr and I are excited to join the Austin Peay State University family and contribute to the 'Total Gov Concept.' The support Austin Peay State University provides to its athletic programs is first rate, and I'm confident it won't be long before we become top competitors in the highly-qualified ASUN Conference. So, go for it, Peay!”
Hobson led ULM to 11 wins in 2022 (including a win over Southern Miss in the Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championship) and the biggest turnaround in program history, leading the Warhawks to a 31-4 record in 2023 after posting a 30-2 regular season record.
During the 2023 season, the Warhawks won over 84% of their dual matches (135-25), including 17 5-0 sweeps. ULM also recorded its fourth undefeated home season in program history, posting a program-high eight wins on home sand.
ULM also has two duos, Avery Reynolds and Claire Williamson and Julia Blazek and Kaitlyn Nowak, named to the Sun Belt Conference second team in 2023. Reynolds and Glen Allen are the only teams in Division I with 30 or more wins prior to the postseason, finishing with a program-record 30-1 record and a .968 winning percentage that ranks second among Division I duos.
Prior to leading ULM on the beach court, Hobson served as the indoor assistant coach for the 2022 season, directing all scouting material, game plans and orchestrating offensive in-game strategy. Hobson then served as the Warhawks' interim head coach from December 2022 to June 2023.
Prior to arriving in Monroe, Louisiana, Hobson served as assistant volleyball coach and recruiting coordinator in Seattle for two seasons, where he developed all of the RedHawks' recruiting and offensive strategies during the 2020-21 season.
Hobson served as the Director of Volleyball Operations at Texas Tech during the 2018-19 season, where she organized the Red Raiders' video and statistical analysis, managed the team calendar for student-athletes and coaching staff, and oversaw team managers and interns.
Hobson officially began his coaching career at Bucknell University, where he was there from 2016-2017 season and was in charge of the Bisons' defensive strategy.
While working in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, Hobson also served as an assistant coach for men's sitting volleyball for the United States Volleyball Association, where he spearheaded defensive strategies for international competitions and contributed to opponent scouting and video analysis. During his tenure, the U.S. team competed in the International Cup in Hangzhou, China to qualify for the 2016 Paralympic Games, and then competed in the NORSECA Games in Montreal, Canada, where they qualified for the 2020 Paralympic Games.
Hobson served as a graduate assistant at Northwest Missouri State University where she helped establish the middle hitter and pin hitter schemes in both the offensive and blocking schemes, as well as helping to establish and implement the NMSU summer volleyball camps.
Hobson began his career on the sideline at Penn State, serving as manager and technical coordinator for the Nittany Lions men's volleyball team for two seasons, during which Penn State made two consecutive appearances in the NCAA men's volleyball Final Four.
Michael Hobson's coaching career
Austin Peay (2024-President) – Beach Volleyball Head Coach
Louisiana-Monroe (2022-24) – Beach Volleyball Head Coach
Louisiana Monroe (2022) – Indoor Volleyball Assistant Coach, Interim Head Coach (December 2022 – June 2023)
Seattle (2020-22) – Indoor Volleyball Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Texas Tech University (2018-20) – Director of Volleyball Operations
Bucknell (2016-18) – Indoor Volleyball Assistant Coach
USA Volleyball (2016-18) – Men's Sitting Volleyball Assistant Coach
Northwest Missouri State University (2015-16) – Graduate Assistant
Pennsylvania State University (2013-15) – Men's Volleyball Technical Coordinator
