Bio

Matt Gagner became the 16th head coach for the women's volleyball program at Clarke University on April 1, 2025 after being elevated from assistant coach for one season.

The Clarke University alum returned to the Pride as women's volleyball assistant coach in February 2024 where he helped lead the 2024 team to a 12-20 record, an eight-win improvement from the season prior, where he primarily instructed Clarke's offense/attack, which produced the two Heart of America All Conference selections on the team in outside hitters Maya Watters (2nd Team) and Rachel Haubert (3rd Team).

On the attack in 2024, the Pride produced 310 more kills from the prior season in just two more matches and seven more sets while boasting improved numbers in both kills per set and hitting percentage from the 2023 season as their kills per set went up by more than two at 9.30 kills per set in 2023 to 11.37 kills per set in 2024 then jumping their hitting percentage over 50 points going from .093 in 2023 to .144 in 2024.

Since 2020, Gagner has been in the coaching world with his most recent stints coming at Front Range Volleyball Club and Chaparral High School in Colorado as he served as Chaparral's boys' varsity head coach, and the Front Range Boys Club Director while also working as the head coach of the 18U boys team, assistant coach for the 17U girls team, and assistnt coach for the 15U boys team.

As a member of the Pride men's volleyball program from 2014-18, Gagner was a three-time All Heart of America Athletic Conference selection as a First Team selection in 2016 and a Second Team selection in 2017 and 2018 at the middle blocker position. Gagner was the top blocker in the NAIA in 2016 and 2018 while also helping lead the Pride to an NAIA Tournament appearance in 2016 as he also boasted the top hitting percentage in the NAIA in 2017, a top-three mark in blocks in 2017, and a top-five hitting percentage season in 2018.

Gagner ended his Clarke career and still holds the top-two hitting percentage in a seasons with a program record .425 in 2017 and a .424 in 2018, has the ninth-best blocks in a season total with 122 in 2016, sits in fifth all time at Clarke for blocks in a career with 322, 10th in blocks per set average in a career at 0.96, third in solo blocks in a career with 91, and tied forth eighth in block assists in a career with 231.

Remaining active as a volleyball player post collegiate career, Gagner played professionally first overseas in Essex, United Kingdom for the Tendering Volleyball Club from 2018 to 2019 before returning to the domestic volleyball scene, playing for the Colorado Kraken in the National Volleyball Association in 2022 and the Dallas Dawgs in the Volleyball Association of America starting December 2022 while he still remains on their active roster, he has been away from the team since 2024.