Entering 5th Season in 2025 • ESU Record: 75-40 • Career Record: 115-83 • 2022 PSAC East Coach of the Year • 1 NCAA Tournament appearances
Tricia Melfy was named as the 13th head coach in ESU women's volleyball program history on April 6, 2020 and enters her fourth season at the helm in 2024. Melfy bring 25 years of coaching experience and more than 400 career victories.
In 2023, ESU finished 22-7 overall after winning 17 straight matches from September 16 to November 4 and 13-1 overall in the PSAC East before dropping a thrilling five-set semifinal match in the conference tournament to Gannon. Makayla Baca and Anna Coulter became the first duo in program history to receive PSAC East Defensive Athlete and Athlete of the Year honors in the same season, joining Taylor Haan on the All-PSAC East First Team while senior Kaylee LoPresto was named Second Team All-PSAC East. The three First Team nods for ESU were the most in program history since 2000 and the four total selections were the highest since 2006. Coulter became the ninth Warrior in program history to garner a pair of First Team All-PSAC nominations during her career and additionally received AVCA & D2CCA All-Atlantic Region First Team recognition.
The Warriors recorded a conference-best eight PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors during the regular season which included Makayla Baca (Defensive Athlete of the Week, Sept. 11 & Oct. 16), Taylor Haan (Athlete of the Week, Sept. 11 & 18, Defensive Athlete of the Week, Nov. 13) and Anna Coulter (Athlete of the Week, Oct. 23, 30 & Nov. 6).
In the classroom, Kaitlin Bruchhauser, Anna Coulter, Kaylee LoPresto and Sydney Stone were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, marking the most selections for the Warriors in a single-season. Additionally, LoPresto became the first two-time selection in program history.
The Warriors led the conference in opposing hitting percentage (0.133) and digs per set (17.78), while ranking 15th and 18th respectively in NCAA Division II. Individually, Coulter paced the conference with a .407 hitting percentage and ranked eight in the country.
In ESU's second year under the direction of Melfy, the Warriors finished 15-14 overall and 8-6 in the PSAC East before ultimately falling in the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Warriors had a trio of All-PSAC selections with freshman Anna Coulter on the First Team, while Kaylee LoPresto and Makayla Baca landed on the Second Team. Additionally, LoPresto became just the fourth student-athlete in program history to be named to the Academic All-District Team. The Warriors also collected a pair of PSAC Athlete of Week honors with LoPresto (Aug. 29) and Coulter (Sept. 12) each receiving a nod.
In her first season with the Warriors, Melfy was named the PSAC East Coach of the Year after guiding the Warriors to the No. 1 seed in the East Division with a conference record of 12-2, marking the fourth time in program history the Warriors recorded double-digit PSAC victories. From Oct. 16 to Nov. 16, ESU won 10 consecutive matches which included eight sweeps. Despite falling in the PSAC semifinals, the Warriors advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.
In 2021, Ali Finch put together one of the most impressive single-seasons in school history by earning D2CCA All-Atlantic Region First Team honors, the PSAC East Player of the Year award and All-PSAC East First Team recognition. Finch was an Academic All-America Third Team selection, a three-time PSAC East Athlete of the Week and finished the year ranked fifth nationally in triple doubles with five. Other All-PSAC selections included seniors Emily Meredith and Kenzie Guimont on the Second Team. Meredith was honored as the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week on Sept. 14 and finished her career at ESU with 1,694 digs, the third most in program history.
Melfy most recently served as the head women's volleyball coach for two seasons at Fort Lewis College. She spent two seasons as the head women's coach at Phoenix College after guiding the women's program at the University of Minnesota-Morris in 2015. During the 2014 season, Melfy was the first assistant coach at Minot State University (N.D.).
"I am honored to lead the Warrior volleyball program to continued success in the competitive PSAC," Melfy said. "I am very passionate about Division II athletics and how this level contributes to a great college experience for our student-athletes. I am excited to move back closer to my hometown, meet the team and hit the ground running."
In 2018, she guided Fort Lewis to the program's first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference playoff appearance in eight years. Melfy coached six all-conference honorees at Fort Lewis and tallied 19 wins over her two seasons.
During her time as head coach at Phoenix College, Melfy assisted the department in the areas of compliance and eligibility, writing and monitoring all Letters of Intent, and assisted with game management for men's and women's basketball games.
In her one season at the helm of Division III University of Minnesota-Morris, Melfy guided the Cougars to a 21-12 overall record and 7-1 mark in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. The Cougars advanced to the UMAC title match, garnered four first-team All-UMAC selections, and went 11-1 at home.
Melfy joined the Division II ranks in 2014 as she was the first assistant coach for the women's volleyball program at Minot State. Her responsibilities at Minot State included assisting with recruiting and scholarship allocation, establish training guidelines, newsletter publication, event-media communication, scheduling, transportation, tournament entries, and uniform inventory.
She spent three years as the head women's volleyball coach at Mesa Community College while also serving as the assistant men's and women's track and field coach. She guided Mesa to two playoff appearances in her three years. Melfy entered the Gilbert Public School System in 1999, where she coached girls' volleyball and track and field at Campo Verde, Desert Ridge, and Mesquite High School.
During her five seasons at Campo Verde High School, she led the program to two sectional championships in their first four years of existence and finished second in the state tournament with a 40-7 record. She was also named the 2012 and 2013 All-Arizona Volleyball Coach of the Year while coaching three students to the All-Arizona Volleyball Team.
At the club level, she has been the director and head coach of the Eclipse Volleyball Club in Gilbert, Arizona, the Spiral Volleyball Club in Gilbert, Arizona, and most recently with the Arizona Storm Volleyball Club in Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, she has taught and coordinated international volleyball tours to Australia, China, and Hawaii.
As a student-athlete, she was a two-time All-American at Arizona State University in the heptathlon (1992, 94), and twice qualified for the United States Olympic Trials (1992, 96). She was also an All-American in the heptathlon at Mesa Community College (1990). Melfy found her passion for volleyball competing on Mesa's Regional Runner-up Mesa volleyball team during the 1989-90 season.
Melfy received her bachelor of science degree in exercise science/physical education from Arizona State University in 1994. She earned her Physical Education Teacher Certification from Ottawa University in 1995, and her master of education in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University in 2002.
Tricia Melfy By the Numbers
• 1 NCAA Tournament Appearance
• 3 PSAC Tournament Appearances
• 1 PSAC East First Place Finish
• 2 PSAC East Athlete of the Year (Ali Finch - 2021, Anna Coulter - 2023)
• 1 PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year (Makayla Baca - 2023)
• 1 Academic All-American (Ali Finch - 2021)
• 1 PSAC Champion Scholar (Jessica Irwin - 2021)
• 1 PSAC East Coach of the Year Award (2021)
