After finishing his seventh season as head volleyball coach at Methodist University, Eddie Matthews continues to build the Monarchs back to amongst the elite in the USA South Athletic Conference.  

In his inaugural season, he led the Methodist to the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship with a string of upsets over Greensboro and Averett. This marked only the fourth time in school history that Methodist has reached the DIAC tournament championship match. That was followed by the 2002 season when the Lady Monarchs finished with 16-18 mark, giving them their most victories in a season since 1993. That team also advanced to the semifinals of the DIAC Tournament.  In 2006, the Monarchs finished 15-17 overall and 6-8 in the USA South Conference. During the 2007 season, the team improved to .500 with a 16-16 overall record.

Overall, Matthews has posted a 95-134 at the helm of the Monarchs. This is Matthews' 16th season overall as a head coach at the collegiate level. He came to Methodist from NCAA Division I Georgia Southern, where he has served as the head coach for five seasons. In addition to his tenure at the helm of the Georgia Southern program, Matthews has also served as the head coach at NCAA Division III Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., for three years, and served a five-year tenure as the assistant coach at his alma mater - North Carolina.

While at Georgia Southern, Matthews orchestrated the school’s biggest single-season turn-around going 17-19 in his second season after a 6-26 campaign in 1996. During his time at North Carolina, Matthews helped guide the Lady Heels to back-to-back ACC Championships in 1989 and 1990.

Additionally, Matthews has served as the assistant volleyball tournament director for the United States Olympic Festival on four different occasions and served as the assistant Chief of Staff to the USA Volleyball team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.  He currently serves as the chair of the South Region for the NCAA Division III Volleyball Committee.

Matthews, who holds USA Volleyball CAP Level II certification and is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, received his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from North Carolina in 1993. Matthews has ties to the Cape Fear regions as he grew up in nearby Roseboro, N.C., where he currently resides with his wife, Shannon, and children - Christopher, Caroline and Daniel.

Megan Friend, Assistant Coach

mfriend@methodist.edu
(910) 630-7026
Megan Friend joined the coaching staff in the fall of 2006 as an assistant coach.  A native of Lisbon, Ohio, Friend played four years under Matthews as a setter.  Playing in 350 games, Friend registered 1800 assists with 151 service ace and 511 digs in four years.

A 2006 graduate with a degree in Resort Management, Friend is now employed in the Methodist University Admissions Office.