Furman University

Michelle Young, the winningest coach in Paladin volleyball history, is entering her 26^th season at Furman.

A five-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year honoree, Young has coached four league Players of the Year, three Freshmen of the Year, and two tournament MVP selections. She has led Furman to two NCAA Tournaments, two SoCon regular season and tournament championships, and one SoCon division championship. The Paladins also have five additional SoCon tournament championship game appearances in 2000, 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2022.

Throughout her career, Young has amassed a 419-329 overall record and 259-162 mark against league opponents. Young earned her 400^th career victory on September 23, 2023, when the Paladins rallied back for a 3-2 win at East Tennessee State.

Furman posted a six-win improvement in 2023 after finishing 17-11 overall and 8-8 in the SoCon. Mary Beth Headley was a second team All-SoCon selection while Izzy Castelloe, Emily Navarro, and Lindsay Walch all earned spots on the All-Freshman Team.

Despite finishing tied for seventh in the SoCon standings in 2022, Young helped lead Furman to its first tournament championship appearance in eight years. The Paladins reeled off three consecutive wins in the SoCon tournament, highlighted by a four-set victory over top-seeded East Tennessee State, to advance to the championship, which was played at Timmons Arena. The Paladins recorded a season-best five straight wins, three in the tournament and two in the regular season, before falling to Samford in the championship match.

Young led the Paladins in a complete turnaround following a disappointing 2016 season, finishing 2017 at 21-10 and 14-2 in SoCon play, good for the Paladins' fourth regular season championship and third under Young. She also picked up her fifth SoCon Coach of the Year honor. 
 
She steered the Paladins to a 23-7 overall record, 14-2 SoCon mark and regular season championship in 2014, while leading the Paladins to a conference tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015.
 
Young recorded back-to-back SoCon Coach of the Year honors in 2013 and 2014, while leading her team to a tournament semifinal in 2013 and championship appearance in 2014.
 
After a third-place finish in the South Division, Young guided the Paladins to a 2012 SoCon tournament championship appearance, before falling to College of Charleston in their last season with the SoCon.
 
She picked up her 200^th win during the 2010 campaign, while finishing with a 17-12 record, making her the winningest coach in Paladin volleyball history. 
 
Young led the team to a perfect 16-0 regular season mark in the SoCon during the 2009 season. For her efforts, she was chosen the 2009 SoCon Coach of the Year, an honor she also received in 2006. Furman also put together a 19-match winning streak during the 2009 season, the longest in Paladin volleyball history, and was undefeated in regular season league competition for the first time in Furman history.
 
The team’s 26 wins were the most for a Paladin volleyball team since 1996, when Furman also posted 26 wins. The Paladins earned a 49th place RPI rating, the highest in the history of Furman volleyball, and were the top rated SoCon team in the poll. 
 
Young’s progress in taking the team to a higher level began in 2008, when she led the Paladins to the SoCon Tournament title and first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
She attributes the Paladins’ success in the league to the team’s rigorous non-conference schedule. Under her direction, Furman has had its first win against a Big 12 opponent with a 3-2 win over Colorado in 2007. The Paladins also recorded their first win over Clemson the same season. During the 2011 season, Furman notched a 3-1 victory over Wisconsin, the first win over a Big 10 opponent by any SoCon volleyball team. In 2012, the Paladins defeated two ACC opponents (Clemson, Wake Forest) in the same season for the first time in program history. Furman’s win over Clemson was the Paladins’ first over the Tigers in Greenville in the history of the series. Furman then tallied comeback, five-set wins over Clemson and South Carolina in 2014, before defeating Gonzaga later in the year.

Young took over the Furman volleyball program as a 23-year-old in 2000 after spending just one year as an assistant coach for the Paladins. In her first year as the head coach, the team won 15 league matches and appeared in the SoCon tournament championship game, establishing Young’s position as one of the top young coaches in the sport.

A 1998 graduate of Clemson University with a degree in industrial education, Young was a four-year letterwinner at setter for the Tigers. She still holds the Clemson single season record for assists, with 1,561, and the career mark, with 4,305. In addition, she was selected Most Valuable Player at the 1997 ACC Tournament after leading the Tigers to the league title and the second NCAA Tournament of her tenure. Young also was lauded as second team All-ACC in 1995 and was named to the 1995 AVCA All-District Team. In addition, in 2002, Young was named to the ACC’s 50th anniversary volleyball squad.
 
Young is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
 
A native of Chatfield, Minn., the former Michelle Thieke married Will Young on June 27, 1998. The couple has three children: Brody, Bailey and Bella.