Chris Poole

Updated December 2022

CHRIS POOLE QUICK FACTS

• Is in his 16th season as the head coach of the Seminoles.
• Signed a three-year extension that keeps him at Florida State University through the 2024 season.
• Ranked as the second-winningest active Division I coach in the NCAA with 895 career DI victories.
• Has guided the Seminoles to 216 Atlantic Coast Conference wins since 2008, the most of any program in the league.
• Became the fastest ACC coach to reach 200 conference wins following a 3-0 win at Virginia Tech on Oct. 22, 2021. He completed the milestone in 256 ACC matches, besting the previous mark of 267 matches.
• Owns a 345-1116 record at Florida State and guided the Seminoles to 11 consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2009-19 – a mark that only 10 other schools shared through that same stretch. FSU has made the NCAA Tournament in 13 of the last 14 seasons, including 2022.
• Poole has guided the Noles to the NCAA Tournament in 13 of his 15 seasons at FSU.
• Has coached 19 of Florida State’s 22 All-Americans, totaling 37 All-America honors since he arrived in 2008.
• Owns a 166-32 record (.838) at Tully Gym since arriving in 2008, including undefeated seasons in 2011 (14-0), 2014 (17-0) and 2020 (9-0).
• Owns 31 of Florida State’s 39 total AVCA Top 25 victories.
• Three-time ACC champion (2009, 2011, 2012) and two-time ACC Coach of the Year (2009, 2011).

In his 16th year at Florida State, head coach Chris Poole has established the Seminoles as fixture in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 and among the elite programs in the nation as he has rejuvenated a program that has become a national contender year in and year out.

In his tenure, Poole recently led the Seminoles to 11 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, making FSU one of only 11 programs in the nation to accomplish the feat during that time span from 2009-20. The team has been ranked in the AVCA Top-20 at some point in 12 of the last 13 seasons, and has defeated 31 AVCA Top-25 programs since his arrival.

When Poole inherited the Florida State volleyball program in the summer of 2008, he took over a team that had failed to reach the 20-win plateau in five-straight seasons and hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2002. It was a program looking for answers; a program looking to get back to the winning ways it had grown accustomed to in the 1980s and early ‘90s.

However, since the beginning of the 2009 season, when Poole began overseeing the scheduling process, the Seminoles have gone head-to-head with 20 different non-conference opponents that were ranked in the top 25 of the AVCA polls in the regular season. Since his arrival at FSU, the Seminoles have seen 72 contests against Top-25 teams. By facing those upper echelon programs, Poole has established Florida State’s schedule as one of the most difficult in the nation for the last decade. FSU has been mainstays in the Top 15 in terms of strength of schedule, ranking 15th nationally in the most recent 2022 season.

In 2022, the Seminoles had a season like no other that included many injuries and many different lineups. The Seminole overcame the inconsistency in the lineup with another NCAA Tournament appearance after finishing 19-11 and 11-7 in conference play. The Seminoles fell in the first round to Northern Iowa. For the second consecutive season, five Seminoles earned All-ACC honors. Emma Clothier, Audrey Koenig, Khori Louis and Emily Ryan were all named to the All-ACC Second Team while Audrey Rothman was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team. Ryan was also named to the AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention.

In 2021, Florida State has returned to the NCAA Tournament despite fielding its youngest squad since 1999. The Seminoles finished the regular season 19-9 overall and 11-7 in the competitive ACC, and went 20-10 overall after defeating Kansas State in the NCAA First Round. FSU began the NCAA Tournament fielding the 19th-best RPI in the nation, highlighted by a 3-1 win over No. 14 Florida on Sept. 15. Five Noles earned All-ACC honors, including including junior middle blocker Emma Clothier (First Team), redshirt junior outside hitter Morgan Chacon (Second Team), freshman libero Emery Dupes (ACC All-Freshman), freshman outside hitter Audrey Koenig (ACC All-Freshman) and freshman middle blocker Khori Louis (ACC All-Freshman). Clothier would notch her second All-America honor under Poole.

The 2020 campaign brought about many challenges due to COVID-19, including a four-match fall season coupled with a championship spring season in 2021 in what was a makeshift year of collegiate volleyball. Despite not being at full strength in the shortened fall, the Seminoles finished 13-5 overall and emerged as one of the best teams in the ACC following a 12-2 finish in the spring. Despite falling just short of its 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid, NCAA Division I blocks leader Taryn Knuth earned Third Team AVCA All-America honors, while Clothier nabbed Honorable Mention AVCA All-America honors. The dynamic duo finished first and second, respectively, in hitting percentage and formed one of the nation’s best middle blocking tandems. Poole also surpassed 300 career wins at FSU in the 2020 season.

The 2019 season started out with a bang for the Seminoles as Florida State earned its highest win in program history with a straight-set victory over No. 3 Minnesota on August 31. The Noles finished third in the conference and posted a 19-10 record for the second consecutive year. Junior Taryn Knuth ranked fifth in the NCAA with 1.52 blocks per set as the Noles were the second-best blocking team in the nation with 2.96 blocks per set. Knuth, along with senior Payton Caffrey, were both named to the AVCA East All-Region Team and the All-ACC First Team, while Jasmyn Martin was selected to the All-ACC Second Team and Clothier earned All-ACC Freshman Team honors. The Seminoles also excelled in the classroom as Madison Sullivan and Taylor Roberts were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team, as the ACC only had four total athletes among all of the district teams.

2018 saw the Seminoles finish second in the ACC standings and close out the year with a 19-10 record, with eight of those losses against ranked teams. Junior transfer Payton Caffrey carried the team offensively with 476 kills and also added 25 service aces, earning ACC Player of the Year honors as well as AVCA All-American Honorable Mention accolades. Sophomore Taryn Knuth joined Caffrey on the All-ACC First Team, and was also named as an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American after finishing with 264 kills and 188 blocks, which ranked third in the NCAA.

In 2017, Poole competed with a very young squad that consisted of eight underclassmen, five true freshmen and seven members that had not played Division I volleyball prior to the season. Senior Milica Kubura provided veteran leadership and was named to the All-ACC First Team for the second year in a row and became the first Seminole in program history to be a four-time All-ACC selection. Freshman Knuth was named ACC Freshman of the Year and was also chosen to the All-ACC Second Team. The Noles closed out the regular season strong with a six-match winning streak, including four on the road, to finish fifth in the conference and continue the program’s streak of NCAA Tournament appearances.

By the close of the 2016 season Poole further cemented his name among the best coaches in the sport as he led the Seminoles to at least 25 wins for the sixth consecutive campaign. Along with surpassing 200 wins in his Florida State career Poole climbed to seventh among active coaches in NCAA history with 787 career wins. The Noles reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for the third time in the last four seasons and posted an impressive 12-1 record in true road matches, with the lone loss coming at Chapel Hill against eventual ACC Champion, North Carolina.

The 2015 season, which culminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at in-state rival Florida, was highlighted by the five-member senior class which included Caroline Dadowski, Laura Dadowski, Karlie Hauer, Mercedes Vaughn and Nicole Walch. Under the direction of Poole, that quintuplet capped off one of the best four-year runs in program history, brandishing a 109-23 overall record, including a 54-2 mark in Tully Gymnasium, and along the way finished 68-10 in ACC action.

Poole’s continued development of Nicole Walch witnessed the Stuart, Fla., native become the first player in the rally scoring era to crack the program’s top 10 list in kills (1,466) after driving home a team-high 459 kills. By leading the team in eight major categories, Walch was a unanimous selection for All-ACC First Team and was named Senior CLASS Top 10 Finalist, AVCA All-East Region Team and AVCA Honorable Mention All-American.

Poole’s program also drew individual honors for Sarah Burrington (AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, AVCA All-East Region Team, All-ACC First Team); Brianne Burkert (All-ACC Freshman Team); Katie Horton (All-ACC Second Team); Milica Kubura (AVCA Honorable Mention All-East Region Team, All-ACC Second Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District IV Team) and Hailey Luke (CoSIDA Academic All-District IV Team).

In 2014, the Seminoles continued to produce history, riding a 24-0 match winning streak while climbing to a program and ACC best AVCA ranking of No. 3 as four athletes captured AVCA All-America honors en route to the second consecutive Sweet 16.

In 2013, Poole helped the Seminoles to a school-record setting six AVCA top-25 wins (Kentucky, Michigan, Western Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Florida), including two of the biggest wins in school history. On December 6, 2013, Poole guided the Seminoles to a 3-2, NCAA Second Round victory over No. 6 Florida lifting them to the NCAA Champaign Regional Semifinal. It marked the first time since 1990, FSU defeated UF inside the O’Connell Center. Florida State also picked up a 3-2 win over No. 7 Michigan on Sept. 14, 2013.

The Seminoles finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with an overall record of 26-8, while finishing the year ranked 11th in the AVCA poll and 12th in the RPI. FSU was led by AVCA All-America honorable mention players, Ashley Neff, Nicole Walch and Elise Walch. Neff earned All-ACC First Team honors, while both Walch sisters and Katie Mosher were awarded All-Second Team accolades.

On Nov. 17th, 2013, in a 3-0 victory over Notre Dame, Poole picked up his 700th career win, becoming one of the winningest active Division I coaches in the country as he climbed to 10th.

In 2012, the Seminoles won their third Atlantic Coast Conference title under Poole and the program’s fourth overall. Florida State finished with a remarkable 28-4 overall record, earning back-to-back conference crowns for the first time in the ACC since Maryland achieved the feat in 2003 and 2004. The Seminoles tied a previous school record with the 2011 squad by defeating five AVCA Top 25 opponents, and one of just three teams (Southern California, Western Kentucky) who have garnered 28 wins or better in the last two seasons (2011 and 2012).

In Poole’s fifth season Florida State obliterated the school record for consecutive wins at home, reaching 27 matches before falling to Purdue in the NCAA Second Round. Florida State also achieved a 16-match win streak and won 19 consecutive sets overall in the 2012 season to reflect its stellar play. The Seminoles finished 18th in the final AVCA Poll and 12th in the final RPI, while being led by AVCA Third-Team All-American and ACC Player of the Year Ashley Neff as well as honorable mention All-Americans Sareea Freeman and Fatma Yildirim.

Poole’s most memorable year thus far came in 2011, when he led the Seminoles to their first-ever NCAA National Semifinal appearance in what was a startling year to say the least.

In 2011, FSU earned its third ACC title while finishing with a 28-7 overall record and an 18-2 mark within the conference. The Seminoles entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 national seed and began the Field of 64 by defeating Albany and Cincinnati in Tully Gym. From there, FSU upset No. 5 Purdue in four sets in the Sweet 16 and defeated fourth-seeded Iowa State in five sets in the Elite Eight in Minneapolis to achieve a feat that many deemed unthinkable when Poole and his staff first arrived.

FSU became the first ACC volleyball team to ever advance to the final round of four, where it eventually lost to NCAA champion UCLA in the national semifinal at the Alamodome in San Antonio. FSU was the only team in the final four that had gotten through its regional in which both Sweet 16 and Elite Eight opponents were nationally-seeded. In his five seasons leading the Seminoles, Poole has compiled 11 of FSU’s 12 NCAA postseason wins, showing a 11-5 mark in championship play.

As a result of FSU’s historical 2011 campaign, Poole helped the Seminoles achieve their highest national ranking ever as they finished at No. 7 in the final AVCA Poll. FSU also finished with the seventh-best RPI in the nation. Poole capped his incredible season by being named the ACC Coach of the Year for the second time as well as the AVCA East Region Coach of the Year. He coached AVCA Second-Team All-American Jekaterina Stepanova to a career year as well as AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans Visnja Djurdjevic and Neff.

The Seminoles earned 21 wins in Poole’s first season in 2008 and then followed that up with an incredible 2009 campaign. FSU not only posted a 31-3 overall record, but under Poole’s tutelage the ‘Noles captured their first outright regular-season Atlantic Coast Conference championship in school history (second overall) and made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.

In addition to those program firsts, Poole’s Seminoles also set the school standard for most conference wins in a season with 19 and ACC wins in a row with 16, which was then tied by the 2011 team. A national ranking of No. 11 in the entire country was the highest ever for a Florida State volleyball team at the time and its No. 3 national seed in the Big Dance continues to be the highest ever. Poole’s 2012 team reached the program’s highest AVCA ranking at No. 6 on Sept. 3, 2012.

For his squad’s multiple successes, Poole garnered ACC Coach of the Year and AVCA Division I East Region Coach of the Year honors in 2009.

He also coached a handful of players that generated quite a few accolades. Brianna Barry became the first Seminole to ever be named the ACC’s Player of the Year and she also garnered AVCA Division I Second-Team All-American honors. Barry, an ESPN The Magazine Academic All First-Team member, was joined by Jordana Price, Mira Djuric and Rachael Morgan on the 2009 All-ACC Team – a record at FSU for most players on that list in one season. Price, Djuric and Morgan also each achieved an AVCA Division I Honorable Mention All-American nod. Poole also coached an ACC All-Freshman Team performer in Yildirim.

The 2010 season featured several roadblocks for the Seminoles, ranging from life-altering misfortunes off the court to devastating injuries that inhibited the team’s continuity. Despite all the hardships, the gutsy FSU squad finished 22-11, including 12-8 within the ACC. Several program feats were accomplished – making back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in over a decade, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championship in consecutive years for the first time in school history and finishing with at least 20 wins for the third straight season.

Veterans Jenna Romanelli and Stephanie Neville capped off their four-year careers in excellent fashion. Junior outside hitter Djurdjevic was one of the top transfers in the country, being named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and an AVCA Honorable Mention All-East Region member. She joined Neville as members of the All-ACC Team as well.

The fact that Poole has breathed life in the FSU volleyball program should come as no surprise as he brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the school after heading the program at the University of Arkansas for 14 accomplished seasons.

Poole started Arkansas’ volleyball program in 1994 and was not only successful, but led the Lady Razorbacks to 11 Southeastern Conference Western Division titles. Add to that 11 postseason appearances – two NIVC and nine NCAA – along with an SEC Tournament title and numerous individual player honors.

Upon arriving in Fayetteville, Ark. in 1993, Poole personally handled every element of building the program from buying the first pieces of equipment, hiring the assistants and recruiting the players, to renovating the court and building locker room facilities.

With head coaching stints at Arkansas, Arkansas State and Arkansas Tech, Poole earned a 550-230 career record in 21 seasons prior to his hiring at FSU and had been named conference coach of the year seven times and was pegged the South Region Coach of the Year in 1997.

During his 14 seasons at Arkansas, in which he compiled a 316-161 record, Poole produced two AVCA All-Americans, three AVCA honorable mention All-Americans, 24 players with 44 All-SEC honors, three SEC Freshmen of the Year and 25 AVCA All-District/All-Region honorees. In addition to the success on the court, Poole’s Arkansas teams excelled in the classroom as well with 67 SEC Academic Honor Roll selections, 10 CoSIDA All-District selections, two H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete finalists and one McWhorter winner.

Poole certainly made his mark in the SEC as he guided Arkansas to a 159-65 record in the SEC regular season for a 71 percent league-winning mark. Poole and the Lady Razorbacks were even more impressive against the Western Division, winning 11 of 14 titles.

Poole spent an entire year away from competition preparing for the Razorback’s inaugural season in 1994 and it was time well spent as he led Arkansas to a 19-17 overall record, a 10-5 SEC mark and an SEC Western Division title with a perfect 10-0 divisional record in the first year of competition. The Lady Razorbacks finished third overall in the league that year and played well enough to earn a postseason bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Coaches tournament in Kansas City where they finished seventh in a field of 20 teams. Poole was selected as the 1994 SEC Coach of the Year while two of his players earned All-SEC honors and one player earned All-District honors.

Poole’s ability to build a program was proven first with Arkansas Tech then at Arkansas State. He took over days prior to the 1987 season at ASU and his first team showed the effects with an 8-24 record. But with one season under Poole’s careful tutelage, virtually the same team was 41-1 the next year, launching a five-year run of winning seasons for the Lady Indians.

His 1988 team had a 33-match win streak, longest in the nation, and posted a school-record 41-1 overall mark. The next year, ASU had a 34-match win streak, notched a Lady Indian record with 43 wins (43-6 overall) and was ranked ninth in the South Region.

In his last season at ASU, the Lady Indians were 41-6 and received an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament in 1992. ASU entered the 32-team NCAA field with the most wins of any team, but lost a tough four-game match to the Northwest Region’s top-seeded team, Long Beach State.

Prior to ASU, Poole was an assistant and later head coach at Arkansas Tech. In two seasons as head coach at ATU, he posted a 53-20 record, winning the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference title in 1985 as co-head coach and finishing runner-up as head coach in 1986. He started his collegiate career in 1983 as a graduate assistant for the nationally ranked Arkansas Tech Golden Suns. Tech was 58-9 with a perfect 24-0 conference mark in two seasons with Poole as an assistant coach.

A native of Heber Springs in north-central Arkansas, Poole is a 1983 graduate of Arkansas Tech and earned a master’s degree from there in 1989. He is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association and has served on the AVCA’s All-American, All-South Region and All-South Region Ranking committees and is also an AVCA Top 25 voter.

Poole and his wife, Toni, a former Arkansas State track and field standout, have two children, son Joshua and daughter Taylor.