Cory Cahill joined the Lourdes University volleyball staff as an assistant coach in January of 2015, prior to the start of the men’s season. The 2017-2018 school year will be his fourth as a men’s assistant coach and third on the women’s side.
In addition, Cahill was named the Director of eSports at Lourdes during the winter of 2017, charged with starting the program for the 2017-18 season. In the program’s inaugural season, the Heroes of the Storm team advanced to the round of 64 in the “Heroes of the Dorm” competition. The Gray Wolves’ League of Legends team also advanced to the postseason tournament in year one.
On the volleyball court, Cahill was instrumental in aiding the 2015 women’s squad finish the season ranked 18th in NAIA, capturing the school’s first Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. The Gray Wolves posted a perfect 22-0 record in league play during the season, and advanced to pool play at the NAIA National Tournament after winning an Opening Round match. The Gray Wolves repeated as WHAC regular season and tournament champions in 2016, again advancing to pool play at the NAIA National Tournament. Lourdes finished 2016 ranked 18th in the nation as well. The 2017 season marked the Gray Wolves third straight appearance in pool play on the national stage.
The 2015 AVCA Mideast Region Assistant Coach of the Year, Cahill has seen Lourdes’ women earn six NAIA All-America honors during his tenure, while 16 different players earned All-WHAC honors. He has also coached the league’s Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Libero of the Year, and two Setters of the Year.
Cahill helped Lourdes’ men’s team earn the Great Lakes Conference title in 2015 before the Gray Wolves won both the Mideast Conference regular season and tournament crowns during his second year on the bench in 2016. In 2017, the men won the Independent Group tournament, and advanced to the NAIA National Invitational for the second straight season. The Gray Wolves won an Opening Round match in each appearance before being eliminated in pool play.
The men’s team broke through in 2018, advancing out of pool play before the season ended in the NAIA National Invitational semifinals.
During his time at Lourdes, the Gray Wolves have produced five AVCA All-Americans, including one Honorable Mention selection, as well as a Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American student-athlete. Lourdes has had the conference Player of the Year three times, Setter of the Year twice, and Newcomer of the Year twice since Cahill has been with the program, and also produced the Libero of the Year in 2016 and 2017.
Cahill arrived at Lourdes after serving as the head coach of the girls’ program at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, Calif. for two seasons. He guided the team to an 18-8-1 record in 2014, the program’s best mark in the last 10 years.
Cahill also served as a coach of the Protégé Volleyball Club in Whittier Calif. He began his coaching career with the Missouri Thunder Men’s Volleyball Club in Saint Louis, Mo. during the summers of 2010, 2011, and 2012.
An outside hitter and libero during his collegiate volleyball career, Cahill played four seasons at Hannibal-LaGrange University in Hannibal, Mo. Cahill was also a former competitive gamer. He was a 2013 graduate of Hannibal-LaGrange with a degree in criminal justice. He and his wife, Erika, have one son, Jaxon, who was born in 2018.
