Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) athletics department will not renew the contract of head volleyball coach Taylor Mott, and a change in leadership has been made effective immediately, Vice President and Athletics Director Gerald Harrison announced Wednesday.
“I want to thank Taylor for her 13 years of service to our student-athletes and the Governors volleyball and beach volleyball programs,” said Harrison. “Taylor won three volleyball conference championships at Austin Peay State University, then started our beach volleyball program and won two more conference titles. She has taken both of our volleyball programs to new heights, and we wish her and her family nothing but the best going forward.”
Mott was hired as Austin Peay State University’s head volleyball coach prior to the 2012 season, following a trio of coaches that led the program for just one season each. During the 2017 season, Mott led the Governors to an Ohio Valley Conference Regular-Season Championship before winning the OVC Tournament and advancing to the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship for the second time in program history. Mott’s team won a program-record 30 matches during the 2017 season.
The following season, Mott and the APSU Govs repeated as OVC Regular-Season Champions before finishing as the runners-up in the 2018 OVC Tournament. Mott’s 2018 team set the program record with a .844 winning percentage (27-5).
In 13 seasons at the helm of the Austin Peay volleyball program, Mott compiled a 200-192 overall record with a 111-91 mark in conference matches. Mott’s 200 wins are the second most in Austin Peay State University history, trailing only Cheryl Holt’s program-record 364 victories. Mott and Holt are the only coaches in program history to win 100-plus matches.
In May 2016, Austin Peay State University announced the addition of beach volleyball as its 16th intercollegiate team, with Mott set to lead the program. In the program’s fourth season, Mott led the Governors to the first-ever OVC Beach Volleyball Tournament Championship, with the team going 4-0 as the No. 4 seed to claim the 2021 title.
Mott and the Governors won the 2022 OVC Regular-Season Beach Volleyball Championship the following season, going 6-2 in conference matches. Mott coached the beach volleyball program for seven seasons, posting an 83-78 overall record and a 15-11 record in conference matches.
With six matches remaining during the 2024 volleyball season, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Connor Crawford will serve as the Governors’ interim head coach for the remainder of the season and until a replacement is named.
Austin Peay State University will immediately begin a national search for its 10th head volleyball coach.
