Matthew Cribbin has been named the next head coach of the Holy Cross volleyball program, as announced by Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Kit Hughes on Sunday, Dec. 29. 

A three-time Northeast-10 Coach of the Year and three-time AVCA East Region Coach of the Year, Cribbin arrives on The Hill from American International College, where he built one of the region's most dominant programs at the Division II level. He spent the last 13 seasons as the head women's volleyball coach for the Yellow Jackets, and was promoted to Director of Volleyball in 2021 after the department added a men's program.

During his tenure, Cribbin won two NCAA East Region Championships and made seven NCAA Tournament appearances, while winning both the NE10 Tournament and regular-season titles a total of three times in 2021, 2022 and 2024.

He amassed a 238-142 record (.626) during his time with the Yellow Jackets, including a 110-48 (.696) record in league games. AIC made conference tournament appearances 11 times throughout his tenure. Since the start of the 2021 season, AIC has won nearly 100 matches (96-28, .774) with a 41-5 mark (.891) in league games. 

"We couldn't be more excited to have Coach Cribbin join us at Holy Cross," Hughes said. "He has a proven track record of building winning programs with extremely supportive and competitive team cultures. Throughout the hiring process, we were impressed with Matt's dedication to developing and nurturing well-rounded and high-achieving student athletes, as well as his desire to join the Holy Cross community. We are excited to have him guide our talented student-athletes to new levels of success in the coming years."

Cribbin has coached 13 AVCA All-Americans, six NE10 Players of the Year, two NE10 Rookies of the Year, two NE10 Defensive Players of the Year and two NE10 Setters of the Year. His players have earned AVCA East Region Player of the Year honors on four occasions, including three-time honoree Andrea Serra-Rosa. In total, his players have amassed 24 AVCA All-East Region selections and 52 NE10 All-Conference selections. An additional 12 student-athletes have received Academic All-Conference honors. 

"First, I would like to thank Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Kit Hughes, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Amy Coleman and the incredible staff at Holy Cross for entrusting me with this exciting opportunity to lead Crusader Volleyball," Cribbin said. "The College of the Holy Cross and the Patriot League foster an environment for impressive students to thrive and develop into the leaders of tomorrow. Through our conversations, I could feel the care and passion for the future of Holy Cross Volleyball in each member of the community. I am truly humbled by the selection and am eager to begin the work to bring the program to new heights.  Fueled by an intentional pursuit of excellence, it is my hope that our program will become synonymous with resilience, grit and commitment to bring pride to The Hill." 

Most recently, in 2024, AIC made its fourth straight NCAA regional appearance while also winning its third conference title in four years. The Yellow Jackets went on a 20-match win streak during the season, including sweeping their conference slate with a 10-0 record in NE10 action. Cribbin earned NE10 and AVCA East Region Coach of the Year laurels for his achievements. 

Other recent highlights include back-to-back NE10 titles in 2021 and 2022, with the Yellow Jackets posting a 30-win campaign in 2022. The Yellow Jackets advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2016 and 2018 after AIC won the East Region Championship both of those seasons. AIC's victory over Le Moyne in the first round of the 2016 East Regional marked the first-ever NCAA Tournament victory for the Yellow Jackets.

Before his successful run at AIC, Cribbin was the head coach at Division III Sarah Lawrence College, where he was named the Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) Coach of the Year in each of his three seasons (2008-10). Cribbin guided Sarah Lawrence to the 2010 conference championship and led the team to a runner-up finish in 2008. 

He was also named a 30 Under 30 Award recipient by the AVCA, which honors 30 of the up-and-coming volleyball coaches under 30 years old in the sport at all levels of the game.

A native of Madison, Connecticut, Cribbin earned his bachelor's in sports management from the University of New England in May 2008. He served as a student assistant with the Nor'Easters' women's volleyball team for three seasons while also serving as head coach and captain of the men's club volleyball team.   

ABOUT HOLY CROSS 
The College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Mass., is among the nation's leading liberal arts institutions. A highly selective, four-year, exclusively undergraduate college of 3,200 students, Holy Cross is renowned for offering a rigorous, personalized education in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition. Since its founding in 1843, Holy Cross has made a positive impact in society by graduating students who distinguish themselves as thoughtful leaders in business, professional and civic life.  

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross volleyball team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
X - @HCrossVB | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrossvb | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Volleyball | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross