Matt Werle

Biography

UCLA Athletics named Matt Werle the next head coach of the UCLA women’s volleyball program in February 2026. Werle arrives in Westwood after a successful stint at Kansas and a decade of meteoric success as the head coach of Grand Canyon University’s men’s volleyball program. Werle spent the 2025 season at Kansas as the program’s Associate Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator, where he helped guide the Jayhawks to a Sweet 16 appearance. Kansas hosted the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament, defeating High Point and No. 17 Miami before falling to top-seeded Nebraska. In his 10 seasons at Grand Canyon, Werle posted a 154-93 record and quickly elevated the Lopes into a national contender. During the 2024 campaign, Werle steered Grand Canyon to its first-ever No. 1 national ranking and coached the program’s first AVCA First Team All-American. He was named both MPSF and AVCA National Coach of the Year after leading the Lopes to their first MPSF Championship and the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory. Werle’s 2023 squad delivered the winningest season in Grand Canyon history, finishing 22-8 and earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth. Five Lopes earned AVCA All-America honors that year, including Jackson Hickman on the second team. In 2022, Werle became the first Grand Canyon head coach to reach 100 career wins, part of a run that also saw him become the winningest coach in program history in 2020. Before rising through the Division I ranks, Werle gained early head