Kendall Paulus was named the Head Coach for the SIUE volleyball in October 2017, becoming the fifth head coach in program history. Paulus begins her 13th season at SIUE and seventh as head coach, having previously served as an assistant for the Cougars. Paulus has focused much of her attention as the defensive coordinator for the Cougars, training pin hitters and ball control players. Even before her time as head coach, she was involved with budgeting, recruiting, video breakdown, travel, equipment, and opponent scouting.
In 2023, the Cougars were dominant at First Community Arena and finished the season 8-3 at home. Paulus coached Sydney Hummert to a Preseason All-OVC selection where she ranked ninth in the conference averaging 2.76 kills per set. Priscilla Jones earned First Team All-OVC honors at the conclusion of the season following a season where she ranked second in the conference with 124 total blocks. As a team, SIUE owned the most total blocks in the conference at 270.0, good for 68th in the NCAA.
Off the court, Julia Treichel earned Academic All-District® honors while the team earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award. Jenna Taphorn was also named a recipient of the OVC Community Service Award, which recognizes outstanding student-athletes for their contributions away from the playing surface, both on campus and in the community.
During the 2022 season, Paulus guided the Cougars back to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the first time since the 2019 season. The Cougars concluded the season 13-17 overall and 8-10 against conference opponents.
Off the court, SIUE claimed its second consecutive OVC Team Sportsmanship Award while four student-athletes earned Academic All-District® honors: Julia Trichel, Alyse Drifka, Jessica Vineyard, and Nicole Kijowski. As a team, the Cougars earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award, finishing the academic year with a 3.3715 GPA.
In 2021, SIUE put together one of the most competitive non-conference schedules in program history, standing toe-to-toe against three squads ranked in the RPI Top 100 and eight ranked in the RPI Top 150. The Cougars finished ninth in the Ohio Valley Conference with an overall record of 6-23 and 3-15 in conference play.
The 2020 season, which was played in Spring 2021, marked one of Paulus' best at the helm of the Cougar volleyball program. SIUE boasted a 10-4 record in conference play to secure one of just four spots in the Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Championship. Paulus also coached four student-athletes to All-OVC selections, including the first Cougar to appear on the First Team All-OVC squad since 2018.
Paulus guided SIUE to a 9-7 record in Ohio Valley Conference play in 2019, which included victories over top-ranked Jacksonville State 3-1 (10/18/19) and two over SEMO 3-2 (10/12/19) and 3-0 (11/15/19). In the 3-0 sweep of the Redhawks, the Cougars racked up 87 digs, setting the mark for most digs in a three-set match in SIUE history. It also was the top mark for digs in a three-set match in the OVC and the NCAA in 2019. Prior to conference play, the Cougars were crowned champions of the SIU Saluki Bash. Following the season Rachel McDonald earned All-OVC honors for the second time in her career.Â
Off the court, Paulus' Cougars were recognized with the USMC/AVCA Academic Team Award. SIUE is one of 227 Division I women's programs honored by the AVCA. The Cougars finished the 2019-20 academic year with a 3.506 combined grade point average.
In 2018, Paulus led the Cougars to an 8-8 record in the OVC. During this season, Paulus had two players receive All-OVC honors including McDonald who was named to the All-OVC first team and Hope Everett who was named All-OVC Freshman of the Year.
Her debut season as head coach was a memorable one for Paulus, who set the school record for wins by a rookie head coach with 23. She led the Cougars to their first-ever national postseason tournament. SIUE participated in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship with All-OVC performers Taylor Joens and Ashley Witt leading the way. SIUE finished No. 92 in the RPI, the best ranking in program history.
In 2016, she was part of the coaching staff that earned Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors while recording 22 wins, the most in the Division I era. She has been on the front lines of SIUE’s time in the OVC and as a top 100 program in Division I.
During the 2016 season, SIUE leaped to the forefront of the OVC, earning an RPI of 100 while advancing to the OVC Tournament Championship match for the second time. SIUE’s defense was stellar, ranking sixth nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.148) and 18th in digs per set (17.40). SIUE also was among the top 100 nationally in team digs, blocks per set, total blocks, and team attacks per set.
The SIUE volleyball program has been at the front of the line for academics, posting better than a 3.5 grade point average over each of the last four semesters, including an SIUE Athletics department-leading 3.638 during the fall of 2015 and a 3.643 during the spring of 2016. Three honorees – Joens, Jackie Scott and Mallory Mangun – were named to the 2016 All-OVC team. SIUE boasted two 2016 All-OVC Tournament members in Mangun and Katie Shashack.
Paulus helped develop SIUE’s first player to ever playing professional indoors. Kristen Torre, of Highland, signed a professional contract with Prowin Volleys in Germany becoming the first Cougar to play professionally indoors. Torre, a two-time All-OVC middle hitter in 2014 and 2015, was discovered by the German team on an international tour in Croatia playing for Team BIP.
The 2014 season was a busy one for the Cougars that included a road victory over Southeastern Conference power Mississippi State. Cori Harris was named an OVC Scholar-Athlete, the most prestigious award handed out by the league. Senior Chelsea Colclasure also broke the school record for career digs and finished among the top five among active players in digs. Colclasure also was the first player in school history to record 500 or more digs in four straight seasons.
Paulus earned Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) All-Academic team honors in each of her four years and was the recipient of the Iona Volleyball Merit Award as a senior for her work on the court, in the classroom, and her service to community. She also served three years as a member of Iona’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Paulus earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Iona in May 2009. She earned her master’s in kinesiology from SIUE in 2012.
