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Amber Haver Named Head Volleyball Coach at UNC Asheville

03.08.2023 | Women's Volleyball

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Asheville Athletics announced the hiring of Amber Haver as the head coach of its volleyball program on Wednesday, March 8. Haver, who is the eighth head coach in program history, was chosen after a national coaching search and spent the last five seasons as the head coach of Columbia International University.

"We are thrilled to welcome Amber to UNC Asheville," Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone stated. "Amber's success in building a successful program at Columbia International and what we learned about her during the interview process, we believe we have found the right person to lead our volleyball program back to the top of the Big South." 

"I am incredibly honored to be named the head coach for UNC Asheville volleyball," said Haver. I want to thank Director of Athletics Janet Cone, Assistant Athletic Director Richard Keroack, and the entire search committee for having the confidence in me to lead the Bulldog Volleyball program to new heights. Our shared vision for the future and success of Bulldog Volleyball is what excited me most about this opportunity. From the first phone call to the last moment on campus, it was abundantly evident that Bulldog Athletics is committed to its volleyball program and to the investment in its student-athletes.  I am thrilled to join a department that is not only passionate about its investment in young people, but also on a very clear upward trajectory of success.  I am looking forward to working with tremendous people whose vision aligns perfectly with my own."

As previously mentioned, Haver has spent the past five seasons as the head coach at Columbia International and has turned the Rams into one of the premier NAIA programs in the southeast.

Last fall, Haver's CIU squad finished 38-9 and won both the Appalachian Athletic (AAC) regular season and tournament titles.  After hosting an opening round match of the NAIA National Tournament, Haver's Rams advanced all the way to the NCCAA Division I Championship match.

"UNC Asheville is one of the best liberal arts universities in the country, in one of the best cities in America," Haver added. "It's no wonder, I can't wait to further get to know the team, the alumni, the athletic department staff, and engage with the one-of-a-kind, Asheville community."

Overall, Haver posted an overall record of 127-71 during her tenure at Columbia International. She was named the 2021 NCCAA National Coach of the Year, was a two-time AAC Coach of the Year, a two-time AVCA Northeast Coach of the Year, and a three-time NCCAA South Region Coach of the Year.
Haver has also made an impact off the court in her time at Columbia International. She established a partnership with L'Arcada Camp in Spain, where she and her team run a large volleyball camp in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains. Additionally, she enjoys taking her team on yearly mission trips to Costa Rica, where they run clinics throughout the country and participate in ministry opportunities working with abandoned women, orphans, and widows. 

Before entering the collegiate coaching ranks, Haver taught deaf children for over a decade and was a prominent high school and club coach, building highly successful volleyball and track and field programs in the state. 

Haver grew up in Stow, Ohio, and earned her Bachelor's Degree from Kent State University and her Master's Degree in Deaf Education and Intervention from the University of North Florida.