AUBURN, Ala. – Completing his Tiger coaching staff, first-year Auburn head volleyball coach Brent Crouch announced the hiring of an associate head coach, assistant coach and director of volleyball operations.
Joining Crouch on the Plains are associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Alex Dunphy, assistant coach Rick Moller and director of volleyball operations and technical coordinator Madi Wilkerson.
Dunphy joins the program after serving as an assistant coach under Crouch at the University of Southern California. Moller served as Auburn volleyball's video coordinator last season before being elevated to an assistant coach, while Wilkerson served as a graduate assistant at Southern Methodist University in 2019.
"I'm thrilled to announce our full coaching staff today," Crouch said. "These are three excellent, high character individuals, all of whom I have known and worked with for years in various capacities and roles. Most importantly, Alex, Rick and Madi will be – and already are – inspiring and transformative leaders of our student-athletes."
Dunphy spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at USC, serving as a member of Crouch's staff. As a student-athlete, she was a member of the 2003 NCAA champion USC squad.
During her time at USC, Dunphy helped the program to consecutive NCAA second round appearances, including a second-place finish in the Pac-12, and a No. 21 ranking in the season's final AVCA poll in her first season on the coaching staff in 2018. This past season, the Trojans finished 18-14 with the 2nd strongest schedule in the country.
Before joining the Women of Troy, Dunphy served as the assistant director of operations and video coordinator at Minnesota in 2017.
Prior to her time with the Golden Gopher, Dunphy served as an assistant coach at Pepperdine for three seasons. She also served as an assistant coach at Miami in 2013. With the Hurricanes, she trained the setters and assisted with recruiting, practice planning and video breakdown. Miami closed the season with a 19-12 overall record and earned its fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament.
Prior to her first assistant coaching appointment at Miami, Dunphy held the office of director of operations with the Pepperdine men's volleyball program.
Dunphy has extensive experience with USA Volleyball. In December 2019 Dunphy served as an assistant coach for the Girls Youth Holiday Training Program at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She served as the technical coordinator for the USAV Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2017 when the squad competed in Thailand and was an assistant coach for the 2016 USAV Collegiate National Team that competed in China. Dunphy also served as the Head of Delegation for the 2012 U.S. Women's Junior National Team during the squad's run at the NORCECA U20 Continental Championship in Managua Nicaragua. That year, Team USA won bronze medals and earned a bid to the 2013 FIVB Women's Junior Continental Championship.
Dunphy graduated from USC with a degree in communication from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in 2007. She was a member of the Women of Troy for two seasons (2003-04). Dunphy earned her master's degree in communication from Pepperdine in 2015.
Dunphy grew up in Malibu, Calif., and is the daughter of Hall of Fame coach Dr. Marv Dunphy who headed the men's program at Pepperdine for three decades and has won multiple medals as a member of the USA Men's National Team coaching staff, including the gold medal at the 1998 Olympics in Seoul, Korea.
Crouch on Dunphy: "Alex Dunphy joins us after working alongside me at USC the past two seasons. One of the hardest working and smartest coaches out there, as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, I will depend on Alex in all areas, and she'll have a significant hand in the overall direction of the program. Her experience coaching and recruiting at the highest levels will be instrumental in Auburn's rise to the top of the SEC."
DUNPHY'S COLLEGIATE COACHING CAREER
2020-Present: Auburn (associate head coach/recruiting coordinator)
2019-18: University of Southern California (assistant coach)
2017: Minnesota (assistant director of operations/video coordinator)
2016-14: Pepperdine (assistant coach)
2013: Miami (assistant coach)
Moller is a familiar face around the Auburn volleyball program after joining the squad as a video coordinator during the 2019 season before being elevated to an assistant coach by Crouch.
With Auburn volleyball in the fall of 2019, Moller did DataVolley statistics for the program both in practice and on the road, as well as assisted with scouting reports.
At Portland, Moller had a hand in every aspect of the program as a coach in the gym, conducting film sessions with athletes, scouting opponents, helping with coordinating travel details and as the programs in-match DataVolley operator. Moller was primarily responsible for the defensive specialist/libero position group as well as developing the serving program and conducting player wellness research. He also was the first assistant with the Portland Beach program during his three years with the Pilots.
Crouch on Moller: "Rick Moller worked for me tirelessly at the University of Portland for two years as a volunteer assistant coach and last year as the Video Coordinator here at Auburn. What luck that he was already here and ready to go! In addition to coaching duties, he will be working with Madi on statistical analysis and scouting reports and handle other areas such as scheduling."
MOLLER'S COLLEGIATE COACHING CAREER
2020-Present: Auburn (assistant coach)
2019: Auburn (video coordinator)
2018-16: Portland (volunteer assistant coach)
Wilkerson joins the Auburn volleyball staff after serving as a graduate assistant at SMU for the past two seasons.
A four-year libero at Saint Mary's College, she finished her career sixth all-time with 1,190 digs. She is also second in program history with a 3.64 digs per set average.
During her time at Saint Mary's, Wilkerson led the Gaels to a runner-up finished at the West Coast Conference Beach Volleyball Championship as sophomore. She led her indoor squad in digs each of the last three seasons.
Crouch on Wilkerson: "I originally helped to recruit Madi Wilkerson to St. Mary's College of California when I was an assistant there. She had a fantastic career as a libero and has spent the past two seasons as a graduate assistant with SMU's volleyball program. In addition to DOVO duties, Madi is a skilled technical coordinator with expertise in Data Volley and she will handle much of the statistical and video work for our program."
WILKERSON'S COLLEGIATE COACHING CAREER
2020-Present: Auburn (director of volleyball operations/technical coordinator)
2019-18: Southern Methodist University (graduate assistant)