MALIBU, Calif. — Head Coach Jonathan Winder hired Luke Reynolds to the Pepperdine men's volleyball team's coaching staff as an associate head coach, as announced on Friday.  He will start June 1, 2024.
 
"Luke is one of the top coaches in the country," said Winder. "He is a proven head coach at our level who has built a tremendous men's volleyball program. He is a passionate teacher, a wiz with analytics, and has a work ethic that is tough to match. His international experience of both coaching the game and recruiting will be fantastic for our current student-athletes and our future student-athletes. His ability to teach how the game is played at the highest level internationally will be incredibly helpful for our athletes who are looking to play volleyball for the USA national team and maximize their potential. 
 
"Luke has coached all over the world in various roles. He not only knows the highest standards of play, he knows how to teach others to get there. He is fantastic in the whole process of the athlete's development from weights, to nutrition, to mental side, to technique, and to tactics. We are thrilled to have Luke joining our staff and coming with his wife Hillary on the women's side!"
 
Reynolds brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience at the professional, national and collegiate levels, most recently having served as head coach of the University of Charleston men's volleyball program.  He also was recently hired as Team USA's collegiate national men's team assistant coach in 2024.
 
"I am so grateful for the opportunity to join such an elite program and coaching staff at Pepperdine University," said Reynolds.  "Being able to help build on the outstanding history and winning culture is a true blessing. I cannot wait to begin pouring my heart and soul into this new chapter."
 
While with the Golden Eagles for three seasons, Reynolds led the team to 44 wins and a .543 winning percentage.  He garnered EIVA Coach of the Year in 2023 after leading the program to a 22-7 record with a 14-match winning streak to open the season.  That year, the team entered the AVCA national coaches polls for the first time in program history, ranking as high as #13. 
 
Prior to joining the collegiate ranks, he spent more than 10 years as a professional coach in Europe and internationally.  In 2023, he helped serve as an assistant for Cuba's men's national team and helped lead the squad to a NORCECA Continental Championship bronze medal finish.  Earlier in the year, he worked as an assistant coach for the American's junior national squad, preparing the team for the FIVB U19 World Championships in Argentina.
 
In 2021, he served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Pepperdine men's team under then-head coach David Hunt.  That year, the team finished third in the MPSF and reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. 
 
He served as the interim head coach for the Australian men's national team leading up to the Asian Championships in Japan in 2021.   Earlier in his international career from 2017-19, Reynolds was the first assistant and strength and conditioning coach to the Australians, helping lead the team to qualify for the World Championships and multiple VNL seasons.  In 2019, the squad finished with silver at the Asian Volleyball Championships in Tehran, Iran and bronze at the World League Group 2 Final in Gold Coast, Australia.
Reynolds also has an impressive resume within the professional ranks, with stops in Poland, Germany, Cyprus and Sweden.  While competing in the CEV Champions League, the highest professional league in Europe, he was head coach of Jastrzebski Wegiel playing in PlusLiga, Poland, he led the team to an 18-6 record.  He previously had served for the team as an assistant coach and strength and conditioning coach on two separate occasions, helping the squad to a PlusLiga bronze medal finish and Polish Cup final four appearance in 2017.
 
In addition to his stint in Poland, Reynolds was the head coach for the Berlin Recycling Volleyball Club from 2017-18, leading the squad to a German League Cup semifinal and German Bundasliga Super Cup against Friedrichshafen.  He led the Nea Salamina Famagusta VC men's squad, in the Cyprus Professional League top division, in 2015-16.  The team won the preseason Derynina Cup and finished with a silver medal at the Cyprus Cup Final, qualifying for the Super Cup and CEV Challenge Cup in 2016.
 
Prior to joining the men's side professionally, he was the head coach at the Svedala Volleyball Klubb from 2013-15, leading the team to a Swedish League silver medal, Swedish Gran Prix Championship for the first time in club history and Swedish Cup silver medal in the 2013-14 season. He also held various coaching consulting positions with multiple men's professional teams in Europe from 2019-22.
 
Reynolds got his start in the coaching scene as an assistant coach with his alma mater Brandon University, a team competing in the CIS Canada West Conference.  The team was CANWEST Conference Champions and CIS national bronze medalists in the 2012-13 season.  
 
He spent four seasons as a setter with some time as an opposite on the Brandon men's volleyball team, helping the team to CIS national silver and bronze medals and CANWEST gold and bronze medals during that time.  Prior to playing at Brandon, he spent a year at the NAIA's Newman University. 
 
Reynolds graduated with a bachelor of physical education in 2010 from Brandon.  He then obtained a master's of education with a specialization in physical education in 2013.  He is married to Hillary Hurley, who was recently hired as an assistant coach for the Pepperdine women's volleyball team.
 
The Waves are led by Head Coach Jonathan Winder.  Matthew Pollock was elevated to associate head coach earlier this week and Will Craft continues as an assistant coach.  With the addition of Reynolds as associate head coach and world-renowned Marv Dunphy staying on as head coach emeritus, the Waves will face the 2025 campaign stacked with a strong leadership team.
 
"Pepperdine has always been about great people investing in other great people," said Winder.  "The location is of course world class, but the people at Pepperdine and in our program are even better than the view. With our new staff, we feel very confident we will be able to invest fully into our student athletes to help them maximize their potential on and off the court. We are driven to help this program and University achieve its ambitious goals. It's an incredible place we get to represent and we are so thrilled to be doing it with an incredible staff and student-athletes. 
 
"With Luke joining Matt, Will, Marv, and myself we are beyond excited to give everything to this University and the young men in our program to make the alumni and tradition of Pepperdine men's volleyball proud. Go Waves!"