Vanessa Faircloth

Biography

Leading into the 2025 season, Vanessa Faircloth enters her third season at the helm, serving as the head women's volleyball coach at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore since June of 2023. In 2024, Faircloth led UMES to a 12-15 record with a 6-8 mark in MEAC play. In 2023, Faircloth led UMES to a 16-12 overall record with an 8-6 ledger in MEAC play along with a win in the first round of the MEAC Tournament. Faircloth came to UMES after spending two seasons as the head coach at Chowan University, where she improved the program from six wins over two seasons to eight wins in her first season and ten victories in her second. Prior to coaching at Chowan, Faircloth coached at Elizabeth City State University, leading the Vikings to their first CIAA Volleyball tournament berth since 2014 in 2018 and nine wins in 2019. Before her collegiate coaching experience, she spent four years as the recruiting coordinator and coach of the Southeast Regional Volleyball club in Chesapeake, Virginia and served as the varsity boys volleyball coach at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, taking the program to the state semifinals in 2017 while earning 6A Region Coach of the Year honors. Originally from Lumberton, North Carolina, Faircloth started her collegiate playing career at Virginia Intermont College, then wrapped up her career at Norfolk State University where she recorded 226 kills, 27 service aces, and 77 total blocks in two seasons. Faircloth graduated from NSU with her bachelor's de