Adjunct Faculty, Graduate Program in Higher Education Leadership; Head Coach, Women's Volleyball
BS in Physical Education, Houghton College
M.Ed in Education Leadership, University of Rio Grande
Holly Motheral was appointed to the head coaching position in March of 2016. She arrived to Messiah from Taylor University where she coached the Trojans for each of the three previous seasons.
"I'm very excited to continue my coaching career at Messiah," said Motheral when she arrived in Grantham. "I believe that God has opened this door for a new journey, and I'm thrilled to continue doing what I love—working with student-athletes—at Messiah."
"For this next step, I wouldn't go just anywhere," continued Motheral, speaking about her motivation to join the Falcons. "I wanted to go to another highly-respected Christian institution where I could integrate my faith into mentorship.
Motheral is a 2010 graduate of Houghton College (N.Y.) where she was a four-year competitor who excelled both on and off the court. A middle blocker, Motheral was a two-time All-American Mideast Conference player and three-time member of the Dean's List. In her final season she was named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete All-American.
After earning a Master's Degree in Education Leadership from the University of Rio Grande in 2012, Motheral worked as an assistant coach at Montreat College in North Carolina. She was there for just one season before being hired as the head coach at Taylor in the summer of 2013.
The appointment at Taylor was significant for Motheral considering the Trojans are one of the all-time winningest programs in NAIA history. She did well to carry the torch, as she led the team to a 19-12 record in 2013 with an appearance in the Crossroads League Semifinals.
Motheral also has experience teaching at the collegiate level. She has taught undergraduate courses such as; Principles of Coaching (Montreat College) and Fitness Walking (Messiah University). She is also an adjunct faculty member in Messiah’s Higher Education Leadership Department, where she is teaching Intercollegiate Coaching.
Motheral currently resides in Dillsburg, Pa.