Hillary Hurley was hired as assistant coach for the Pepperdine women's volleyball team in May 2024. She is entering her second season at Pepperdine in 2025.
In her first season in Malibu, the Waves went 17-11 against a challenging non-conference schedule and finished third in the WCC standings. Thanks to the efforts of Grace Chillingworth and Birdie Hendrickson, Pepperdine had arguably the most productive offensive duo in the league; Chillingworth's 3.94 kills per set ranked second in the WCC, while Hendrickson's mark of 3.55 kills per set ranked third. Both seniors earned All-WCC First Team nods. Freshman middle blocker Ella Piskorz also put together one of the most impressive debut seasons in program history, becoming the first Wave to make the All-WCC First Team and the All-WCC Freshman Team since 2016. Trinity Stanger (WCC Second Team) and Chloe Pravednikov (WCC All-Freshman Team) rounded out the Waves' all-conference award winners.
Hurley spent 10 years playing professionally with numerous top clubs throughout the world before joining the coaching ranks. She most recently served as head coach of the women’s volleyball program at West Virginia State, where she led the Yellow Jackets to an impressive 26-6 overall record and earned Mountain East Conference Coach of the Year acclaim.
“Hillary has an extensive playing resume that has matured her ability to see the game at a high level, but what is more impressive is her ability to bring her enthusiasm for volleyball to life when connecting with peers, players, and recruits,” said Head Coach Scott Wong at the time of her hiring.
Hurley coached WVSU to its third MEC South Division regular season title with 14-1 record in league action and to the finals of the conference tournament, which had been done only once before in school history. The team then advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships – a feat that had been achieved four times in program history. Four of her players earned All-MEC honors.
“I am so excited to join such an incredible program and university,” said Hurley at the time of her hiring. “The tradition of success that Scott has created with the women’s volleyball program is something special, and I can’t wait to get started! GO WAVES!”
Prior to joining the Yellow Jackets, Hurley served as an assistant coach at the University of Charleston, where she was an integral part of the coaching staff that led the Golden Eagles to a banner year in 2022. With her guidance, the program hosted the MEC Tournament for the first time since joining the league in 2013 and a trip to the MEC Tournament finals for the first time since 2018. The program went on to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2007 and even win the first-round match for the first time since the 1998 campaign.
Prior to joining the sidelines, she spent 10 years as a professional volleyball in some of the most competitive leagues globally, making stops in Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Germany, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the Philippines.
Hurley was a two-sport athlete at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo, competing in both volleyball and basketball. She garnered All-PacWest first team honors in both sports – three in volleyball, two in basketball – and was a two-time AVCA All-American selection with a first team nod as a senior and second team nod as a junior. As a senior, she earned Daktronics All-West Region first team honors and as a junior, she was named PacWest Player of the Year and earned Daktronics All-West Region second team honors. She opened up her collegiate career with AVCA Pacific Region and PacWest Freshman of the Year accolades as well.
She graduated in 2011 from Hilo with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. Hurley is married to Luke Reynolds, who also coaches collegiate volleyball on the men’s side.
