Abby Irvine, who served last season as a graduate assistant coach at Liberty University, joined the University of North Alabama staff as an assistant volleyball coach in January of 2022.
UNA Head Volleyball Coach Tristan Johnson said the former University of Houston setter will be a great addition to the Lions' staff.
“Abby comes very highly recommended by some of the best volleyball coaches in the country," Johnson said. "Her experience playing at the highest level, along with her time spent within the ASUN will serve her well. Her maturity and experiences, both on and off the court, will give our student-athletes an incredible mentor. She is very hard working and will represent UNA in a first class manor.”
In her former role as graduate assistant, Irvine assisted with all aspects of running the Liberty program.
Irvine finished up her four-year career at Houston in the 2020-21 season, helping the Cougars win the American Athletic Conference (AAC) West Division title as a senior. Her career stats include 2,364 assists, 161 kills, 924 digs and 74 service aces in 396 career sets played.
She was a four-year member of the AAC All-Academic Team. During her junior campaign, Irvine dished out a career-high 911 assists, finishing fifth in the AAC with 8.36 assists per set. Irvine posted three 50-assist matches, including a career-high 55 assists against ECU on Oct. 18, 2019. She helped lead Houston to its first postseason since 2000, as the Cougars competed in the 2019 NIVC.
Irvine has extensive coaching experience at the developmental level in the Houston area.
A native of Willis, Texas, Irvine graduated from Houston in Dec. 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in health and a minor in psychology. She was pursuing a master’s degree in biblical studies at Liberty.
