Valpo volleyball head coach Carin Avery announced today that Matt Eastman has joined the program’s coaching staff as a graduate assistant heading into the 2023 season.

“It brings me incredible joy to be joining Valpo’s volleyball staff!” Eastman said. “I spoke with a number of schools looking for assistants, but Carin and Nick struck a very special chord with me. I knew speaking with them that their program would be the perfect place for me to learn and grow as a coach, while being able to contribute my own ideas and philosophy as well. 21 seasons at a school is no small feat, especially when you win as much as Carin’s teams have, and I’m ready to do everything I can to make year 22 another one of great success!”

Eastman comes to Valpo from UMBC, where he spent the 2022 season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Retrievers. Assisting in all aspects of the program, Eastman helped UMBC post a 17-9 record and claim its third consecutive America East tournament title.

"We are extremely excited to have Matt join our Valpo family!" Avery said. "We knew right away that we wanted Matt to join our staff. He is a great match to fit our culture, and the knowledge he brings with him from his time at UMBC will enhance our coaching as we strive to move our program forward."

Eastman has also served as the head coach of the UMBC men’s club volleyball team for the last two years. He led the program as it reached as high as #23 in the NCVF Division II national rankings last season. Eastman guided UMBC to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 Division II East Coast Championships and to the finals of the bronze bracket at the 2022 NCVF nationals.

Prior to starting his coaching career, Eastman was a starting middle blocker on the UMBC men’s club team. He graduated from UMBC with a bachelor’s degree in information systems in May of 2020.