SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (August 29, 2023) – Western New England University Athletics is excited to announce the hiring of Matt Lein as the new head coach of WNE Women's Volleyball, as announced by Director of Athletics and Recreation Dino L. Pollock, Esq.
"I am extremely pleased to announce the hire of Matt Lein as our new Women's Volleyball Head Coach," said Pollock, "Matt brings important prior head coaching experience at the Division III level and over eight years of collegiate coaching experience in Divisions II and III, most recently as the lead assistant coach for women's volleyball at neighboring AIC. Matt's genuine collegiality, passion and knowledge of the game shone brightly during the search process and impressed the search committee and our student athletes. I look forward to Matt leading our volleyball program to great heights in the classroom and on the court. I am very grateful and excited to have Matt join our Golden Bear family of coaches and educators."
Lein joins WNE after spending the last two seasons at nearby American International College (AIC) (NCAA DII) as the lead assistant coach to the women's volleyball program. There, Lein led the Yellow Jackets to two NE-10 tournament championships while also capturing two NE-10 regular season titles. Under the direction of Lein, the Yellow Jackets produced six NE-10 All-Conference Team selections and three NE-10 All-Rookie Team selections over a two-year period. Overall, AIC held a 59-10 record with Lein as the top assistant.
No stranger to leading a program, Lein served as the Head Coach of SUNY Plattsburgh from 2018-2021 where he helped build the Cardinals women's volleyball program. Lein guided Michelle Simmons to a SUNYAC All-Third Team selection in 2019. Lein also saw the program's first ever SUNYAC Defensive Athlete of the Week selection under his direction in 2018.
Outside of NCAA volleyball, Lein has coached at the high school level, most recently coaching as an assistant at Westfield High School (Mass.) where he helped lead the boy's volleyball program to two Western Massachusetts championships and 2022 Massachusetts State Champions.
Lein's club experiences include Pioneer Valley Juniors Volleyball Club, Northern Impact Volleyball Club, Siena University Women's Club Volleyball, and New York Attack Club Volleyball.
Lein began his career in coaching while studying at Nova Southeastern University where he was a student assistant for four seasons before taking over as an assistant for the University in 2013.
Lein earned his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Nova Southeastern in 2013 and his Master of Science in mental health counseling from Nova Southeastern in 2017.
