Mallory Matthews
Head Coach

Mallory Matthews came back home to ETBU as the new head coach on December 17, 2021. The former AVCA All-American brings NCAA Division III head coaching experience that will help lead ETBU to the next level. 

"We are thrilled to announce Coach Mallory Matthews as the new Head Coach of ETBU Tiger Volleyball. Mallory's passion, vision, commitment to Christ-centered athletics and her dedication to use volleyball to disciple young women makes her a perfect fit for ETBU.  I'm excited about the future of Tiger Volleyball under Coach Matthews' leadership and to have an alum guiding our program for the years to come."
 
ASC Success
The two-time American Southwest Conference East Division Coach of the Year, Matthews made an immediate impact at LeTourneau University. In three seasons her teams won 51 matches, went 30-18 in the ASC, and finished in the ASC Tournament semi-finals, twice. Prior to Matthews, LETU had not had a winning season in the NCAA Division III era which started in 1998. Her 18-14 record in 2019 was also the first winning season for LETU since 1989 (17-14).
 
She produced 13 players that received ASC awards as Kianna Crow was an All-ASC selection three times and a two-time ASC East Player of the Year. Other player awards included Natalie Davenport (2019) and Allison Smith (2021 spring) as the ASC East Freshmen of the Year, Courtney Edge winning the ASC East Newcomer of the Year (2021 spring), and Natalie Connelly as the ASC East Sportsmanship award winner (2021 spring).
 
"I am so excited to be back home and am extremely grateful for the opportunity Dr. Blackburn and Ryan Erwin have given me. This team has a lot of talent and I am eager to start building relationships with them," says Matthews. "I want to thank LeTourneau for giving me my first head coaching opportunity and for everything they have done for my family and me. ETBU has always held a special place in my heart and I am thrilled to continue to be in Christ-centered athletics, where I can pour into my athletes and be a part of a great atmosphere. We are thrilled to have our family back home together on the Hill."
 
ETBU Family
No stranger to ETBU, Matthews returns home to the program where she was an AVCA All-American and voted a CoSIDA Academic All-American playing from 2013-16. She is fifth all-time in career kills (1,373) and sixth in digs (1,147). In her four years as a player, ETBU won 83 matches finishing as the ASC Tournament runners-up in 2013 and qualified for four ASC Tournaments. In the 2013 season, ETBU won a program best 32 matches under former head coach Lyndsay Mashe. The 2014 season featured a program best 14-match winning streak improving their home record to 18-0 over the previous three seasons. She became an All-American in 2015 and then was a CoSIDA Academic All-American third-team member in 2016.
 
Keeping the ETBU family ties, Matthews started her coaching career in 2017 at the University of Texas Tyler under Mashe as a graduate assistant. UTT went 46-10 in those two years qualifying for the ASC Tournament in 2017. The 2018 season was a transitional year to NCAA Division II where UTT finished ranked 19^th and went 24-2.
 
Matthews is married to ETBU baseball associate head coach Tanner Matthews and they have two children, Swade (2) and a new born Crew. They attend New Beginnings Church in Longview, Texas.

Allison Kuster
Assistant Coach

Allison Kuster enters her seccond year at ETBU as an assistant coach under Mallory Matthews. She came to ETBU after being the assistant coach at LeTourneau University for two seasons with Matthews.

Last season, ETBU went 20-7 and played for the ASC Tournament Championship falling to Texas Dallas. It was first time ETBU played for the ASC Championship since 2013. That season also brought the progam's first win over Mary Hardin-Baylor in eight years, posted a win over a ranked program for the first time since 2017, and started off the season at 10-0. ETBU finished third in the ASC at 10-6 but produced the ASC MPV and Freshman of the Year in Graycee Mosley. Mosley was then named an AVCA All-American on the honorable mention team.

Kuster helped LeTourneau go 32-13 in her time coaching the Yellowjackets advancing to two American Southwest Conference tournaments. In spring 2021, she was a part of a staff that was named the ASC East co-Coaching Staff of the Year after the Yellowjackets went 16-6 overall, played in the ASC Tournament semi-finals, and had seven players earn All-ASC honors.

Her collegiate coaching experience started at Hardin-Simmons University in 2019-20 as a graduate assistant. The Cowgirls finished third in the ASC West and made the ASC Tournament. While in Abilene, she helped coach the Halo Club Volleyball Program while also helping with school team camps in Dallas and East Texas.

A four-year starting outside hitter at Hardin-Simmons, she recorded 1,041 kills and 1,098 digs. She finished fifth all time in points, seventh in kills, seventh in digs and seventh in aces at Hardin-Simmons and set the school record for service aces in a match with nine.

In her time as a player, she earned All-ASC West Division First-Team honors in 2018 and was a second-team member in 2016 and 2017. She earned three ASC West Player of the Week honors, and was voted the team's most valuable player in 2018. Academically, she was a two-time ASC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete team member and made the ASC All-Academic team three times.

A Mansfield, Texas native, she earned a Bachelor's Degree in psychology from Hardin-Simmons in 2019 and a Master's Degree in Kinesiology Sport and Recreation in 2020.