Kaleb VanDePerre is entering his third season with the Lions after joining the University of North Alabama as the beach volleyball head coach on December 28, 2022.
In his two seasons at the helm, VanDePerre has gone on to break the program wins record each year. His first season in 2023 resulted in a 20-16 record before setting the current program win record in 2024 with a 22-13 record. The previous high was set in 2022, when the Lions won 16 matches.
2024 also saw the Lions clinch their first wins over Power Four competition against Nebraska and Oregon, as well as the first ranked win in program history over #20 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The culmination of the season resulted in VanDePerre winning North Alabama's first ASUN Conference Coach of the Year honor on April 23, 2024.
Under his tenure, his players have won four ASUN Pair of the Week awards and a combined 19 postseason honors, which have included seven Academic All-ASUN players, three All-ASUN First-Team pairs and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honorees, two ASUN Conference All-Tournament pairs and an American Volleyball Coaches Association Top Flight Award. Three of his pairings have also received pair rankings in the AVCA/CollegeBeachVB.com pair rankings during the 2024 season.
He also was at the helm for the program's first CSC Academic All-American in 2023 for standout Paula Klemperer.
VanDePerre came to UNA from Liberty University, where he had served as the school's head beach coach since 2016.
While at Liberty, VanDePerre led the beach program at the club level, and helped the Flames secure many program firsts, including its first victory over a Division I program in 2021. He also served as the director of marketing and promotions for club sports at the school and was the men's volleyball head coach the past four seasons, leading the Flames to their first ever No. 1 national ranking and finishing 3rd at the 2021 NCVF national championships.
VanDePerre graduated from LU in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in 2015 with a master's degree in sport management. While at Liberty, he was a member of the beach volleyball team, before taking over the program in 2016 and leading the men's beach team to its highest-ever finish at the USA Collegiate Beach Championships.
He also coached high school indoor club volleyball for several seasons in Lynchburg, Va., before taking over the men's indoor program. VanDePerre is also the director of VA Sand Volleyball, a year-round beach club for juniors in the Central Virginia region.
VanDePerre is joined to Florence with his wife, Piper, and sons, Hudson and Cooper.
