Chad Willis enters his sixth season on head coach Matt Ginipro’s staff. Willis joined the Appalachian State volleyball coaching staff as the associate head coach following the 2012 season after spending eight years at Wake Forest.

On the court Willis is primarily in charge of training the outside and middle hitters and coordinating the Mountaineer offense. Willis also serves as Appalachian’s recruiting coordinator. With a solid network of contacts across the country, the Mountaineers have landed talented student-athletes, including the 2017 and 2018 class being tabbed by PrepVolleyball as highest honorable mention for the nation’s top recruiting class.

In his first five seasons, he has guided the Mountaineers to 1,500 or more kills in four, including 1,675 kills in 2017.

Willis was instrumental in a successful transition for Appalachian into the Sun Belt Conference, helping to guide the Mountaineers to a 21-10 record in 2014, including the stellar 22-8 campaign in 2015. 

For the 2015 season, the Black and Gold led the conference in kills per set (14.66), assists per set (13.76) and posted the highest team hitting percentage (.272). Paige Brown, Emily Corrigan, Jess Keller and Ashton Gregory wrapped up tremendous offensive seasons by being named as all-conference selections, including Keller being named the Sun Belt Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year. Keller led the league with 507 kills and 4.57 kills per set en route to her Player of the Year honor. She also cracked the top ten list of career kills and ranks ninth with 1,210. Corrigan finished the season with 411 kills and now ranks second all-time on the career kills list with 1,399. 

Under Willis’ tutelage, Brown finished up her career as one of the best to ever wear the Black and Gold, amassing a program record 4,478 assists.

In 2014, the team led the conference in kills per set (13.72), assists per set (13.18) and posted the fourth highest team hitting percentage (.217). Emily Corrigan, Paige Brown and Lauren Gray capped off great offensive seasons by being voted to the Sun Belt all-conference team. Willis guided Brown to a stellar season that saw the rising senior finish the year atop the conference and third in the nation with 11.72 assists per set. Brown also set a conference record being named Sun Belt Setter of the Week an unprecedented six times en route to her earning Sun Belt Setter of the Year. 

In 2013, Appalachian capped off a 19-13 campaign and finished fourth in the Southern Conference in kills per set (13.39), assists per set (12.53) and team hitting percentage (.233). Paige Brown tallied 11.22 assists per set and finished the season ranked second in the SoCon in assists.

Willis came to the High Country after spending eight seasons in nearby Winston-Salem where he served as an assistant coach for the Demon Deacons before being promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2012 campaign. In addition, Willis served as the team’s recruiting coordinator and assistant camp director.

During his time at Wake Forest, Willis was primarily responsible for coaching the setters and coordinating offensive systems and coached two all-ACC setters in Erin Borhart and Kelsey Jones. In addition, he was part of a staff that led the Demon Deacons to a school-record-tying 10 ACC wins in 2005.

Prior to his time at Wake Forest, Willis spent one season as an assistant coach at Southern Conference rival Elon, where he helped lead the Phoenix to a 19-14 record and coached second team all-SoCon outside hitter Emily Hayes.

Willis has also served as the head coach for women’s club volleyball at James Madison while spending two seasons as a student assistant coach for the Dukes varsity women’s program, where he was part of a staff that led JMU to a Colonial Athletic Association title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000.

A 2005 graduate of James Madison, Willis was the starting setter for JMU’s men’s club volleyball team where he helped lead his squad to three top-10 finishes at the national tournament while earning All-America honors twice.

Chad resides in Boone with his wife, Caroline (former libero at North Carolina) and their two children, Aidan (6) and Maddie Grace (3).