Paul Carroll, one of the top players in Pepperdine men’s volleyball history, spent three seasons (2020-22) as the associate head coach.
With Carroll on staff, the Waves advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished with a #5 ranking in both 2021 and 2022.
“Men’s volleyball has a rich and successful history at Pepperdine and I’m honored to be back part of it again,” said Carroll at the time of his hiring in December 2019.
Carroll, a 2009 graduate with a degree in business administration, earned National Player of the Year honors from both the AVCA and Volleyball Magazine in 2009. He was a three-time AVCA All-American first team selection, and finished third all-time at Pepperdine in kills (2,101), service aces (154) and points (2,454.0). Carroll holds Pepperdine records in the rally-scoring era for both kills in a season (661 in 2009) and kills in a single match (37 three times). He twice led the nation in kills per game. The Waves advanced to the NCAA Championships twice in his four seasons.
A native of Australia, Carroll had been a member of his country’s National Team since his debut at the age of 19 in 2005. In 2008, he was named Australia’s Male Volleyball Player of the Year. He has played professionally in Italy, Germany and Russia. He was named MVP of the German Bundesliga in 2010-11. He helped lead Berlin Recycling Volleys to six league championships in Germany in a seven-year span. He reached the CEV Champions League Final Four twice, and won a bronze medal in 2015.
“It’s great to have Paul back in Malibu,” said former Pepperdine Coach David Hunt at the time of Carroll’s hiring. “He and his wife are both Pepperdine alumni. They both understand the value and impact that Pepperdine will have on our student-athletes. When you open up the Pepperdine record book, Paul’s name is riddled throughout. He thinks about the game at an extremely high level and will be an asset to everyone in our program. As he concludes his international career, I am excited to see him transition from an elite athlete to a great coach.”
Carroll and his wife Erin (a fellow Pepperdine graduate who was a member of the women’s soccer team) have three children, Nolan, Flynn and Josie.
