Ashlee Pritchard enters her second season as the head volleyball coach at Indiana State and was announced as the 10th head volleyball coach in program history. history on April 14, 2022.
“I couldn’t be happier to have Ashlee lead our program,” Sycamore Director of Athletics Sherard Clinkscales said. “Her competitive success and proven leadership in developing student-athletes into productive citizens will continue to be the mantra of our program. I look forward to working with Ashlee in bringing an MVC championship to Terre Haute.”
Pritchard’s first season at the helm saw the Sycamores emerge as a strong defensive team, as Indiana State ranked second in the MVC in both digs per set and blocks per set. Jamie Brown and Storm Suhre both ranked in the top 10 in the conference in blocks per set, making Indiana State one of only two MVC schools with multiple athletes ranked in the top 10 in blocks. Karinna Gall became the first Sycamore since 2017 with a 20-kill, 20-dig match, while Melina Tedrow became the first player in program history to surpass 2,000 career digs.
Pritchard comes to Terre Haute after spending 10 seasons as the head coach at Marian (Ind.), turning the Knights into an NAIA power. She compiled a 222-103 record during her time on the sidelines at Marian, including a 161-37 mark over the last six seasons and a 75-9 record in conference play over the last five seasons. Marian posted the only 30-win seasons in program history under Pritchard. She had three in the past five years. The Knights have finished either first or second in the Crossroads League each of the last five seasons.
Marian won four Crossroads League regular season titles and two conference tournament titles during her tenure, including a sweep of the conference championships last season. The Knights made the NAIA Tournament in each of the last five seasons, going 15-8 in the postseason and winning the first national championship in program history in 2019.
Pritchard developed 11 NAIA All-Americans and 42 All-Crossroads League selections during her time at Marian. Her coaching ability has been recognized on multiple occasions at the conference, regional and national level. Pritchard was named Crossroads League Coach of the Year four times, while also earning four AVCA Midcentral Region Coach of the Year honors. She was also named the 2019 NAIA/AVCA National Coach of the Year and was twice an AVCA “Thirty Under 30” Award winner.
In her final season on the sidelines in Indianapolis, Pritchard led Marian to a 35-3 record during the 2021 season, including a 17-1 mark in conference play. It was the third 30-win season for Marian during Pritchard’s tenure, all coming since 2018. The Knights won the Crossroads League regular season and tournament titles, while also reaching the semifinals of the NAIA Tournament and finishing the season ranked fourth in the nation.
Pritchard turned the Knights into one of the premier programs of the Crossroads Leagues over the course of the last five seasons. Marian advanced to the NAIA Tournament every season from 2017-21, including a historic run to the national championship in 2019. Her 2019 team went 38-2, including seven wins in postseason play to claim the first volleyball national title in school history and finish the season ranked first in the nation. The 2019 season saw Pritchard named the NAIA National Coach of the Year and the National Tournament Coach of the Year.
Pritchard also led the Knights to their first 30-win season in program history in 2018 with a 30-7 record. Marian won the Crossroads League regular season title in four of the last five seasons, while also winning conference tournament titles in 2018 and 2021. Marian was ranked in each of the last 26 national polls to close Pritchard’s tenure, a streak that dated back to midway through the 2018 season and was among the NAIA’s top 10 active streaks.
During Pritchard’s tenure, Marian was one of the top teams in the nation when it comes to defending its home court. The Knights went 98-26 at home in her 10 years as head coach, including a 74-7 mark on their home court over the last six seasons.
Prior to her time at Marian, Pritchard spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Taylor University, where she helped lead the Trojans to a 103-24 record. Taylor won the Mid-Central Conference championship in all three seasons Pritchard was on the bench, amassing a 41-1 record in conference play. The Trojans won at least 30 games in each of Pritchard’s three seasons on staff, making three trips to the NAIA Tournament.
Pritchard was a four-year player at Taylor, where she was a part of back-to-back conference titles for the Trojans. She was a team captain her senior season and finished her career ranked fourth in school history in digs.
Pritchard graduated from Taylor with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with a minor in management in 2009 and earned a master’s degree in sports administration from Liberty University in 2014. She and her husband, Nathan, have two children, Charlotte and Drummond.