Two months after Northwestern volleyball relieved former head coach Shane Davis of his duties, the program has tapped Tim Nollan to fill its coaching vacancy. 

Welcome to Northwestern, @tim_nollan! 😼

Tim Nollan named Head Volleyball Coach. pic.twitter.com/ZQ7iLYB3pj

— Northwestern Volleyball (@NUVball) February 6, 2024

Nollan spent the last eight years as Grand Canyon University’s head coach. There, he led the Lopes to five consecutive winning seasons and five top-three finishes in the Western Athletic Conference. Nollan concluded his time at GCU by spearheading the Lopes’ first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Before his time in Phoenix, Nollan worked on staff at the University of Southern California, his alma mater, from 2008 to 2015. Entering the program as recruiting coordinator and assistant coach, Nollan was named the Trojans’ associate head coach in 2011. 

Nollan also served as Pepperdine University’s assistant coach from 2004 to 2007 and helped lead the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances. His recruiting efforts with the Trojans and the Waves have culminated in several top-ten recruiting classes in PrepVolleyball.com’s rankings. 

The Wildcats haven’t played an NCAA Tournament match since 2010 and are in a 35-year streak without a winning conference record.

But with Nollan’s appointment, there may be some hope for this perennial middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team.

Correction: A previous version misstated NU volleyball’s conference record trend in the past 35 years. The Daily regrets this error.

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