MALIBU, Calif. — Head coach Jonathan Winder hired Will Craft to the Pepperdine men's volleyball team's coaching staff, as announced on Wednesday.
 
"We are thrilled to add Will to our coaching staff at Pepperdine," said Winder.  "Will comes with some unique experiences as a professional outside hitter, national champion assistant coach, and successful head coach. He played, coached, and has been recruiting in the Midwest where we have had some of the best players in Pepperdine program history come from.
 
"Will is passionate to teach the game and willing to grind to help Pepperdine become it's best. He will have an immediate impact with our outside hitters, passers, and our overall offense. He knows that position well since he built himself into an All-American outside hitter and professional player.  We're excited to have him in Malibu to help this generation of Waves to achieve great things on and off the court."
 
Craft brings with him a wealth of playing and coaching experience at both the professional and collegiate levels, having most recently served as the head men's volleyball coach at Dominican University, an NCAA Division III institution competing in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.  He was named NACC Coach of the Year this past season.  
 
"I could not be more excited to join such a highly esteemed coaching staff and program." said Craft.  "I think that I can bring another professional mindset into the gym that can really help to develop the pin hitters and passing lineup. 
 
"My professional playing experience and collegiate coaching knowledge will collaborate well with the current coaching staff and I am ready to learn a lot from them.  I cannot wait to get in the gym with the team, and I know that we have the ability to do something special this season!" 
 
Prior to coaching at Dominican, Craft was a graduate assistant for the Carthage College men's volleyball program, helping the Firebirds to an NCAA DIII Championship crown in 2022.  He primarily focused on team culture, while developing scouting and practice plans and breaking down film.
 
Before hitting the sidelines as a coach, Craft played professionally as an outside hitter.  Most recently, he was with SVG Lüneberg in Germany, helping the squad to a bronze medal at the German Bundesliga during his time.  Prior to that, he played for Nordenskov UIF Volley in Denmark where he served as a team captain and led the team to a silver medal at the Danish Volley Ligaen and a bronze at the Danish Cup.  His first professional experience out of college in 2017 was with Saaremaa Võrkpalliklubi in Estonia.
 
Craft was an AVCA All-American for Carthage, located in Kenosha, Wis., where he helped the squad to a deep run in the 2016 NCAA Division III Championships including a quarterfinal appearance.  Along with his All-American honor, he was named to the All-MCVL first team and was a member of both the MCVL All-Academic squad and Carthage Dean's List for two seasons.