Liz Hart

Liz Hart enters her 16th season at the helm of the Norse volleyball program in 2025.

Since the program’s move to Division I, Hart has orchestrated one of the most successful starts for a transitioning team in NCAA history with a 25-7 mark in 2012, the best record for a reclassifying school in NCAA history. Hart has continued to build on the success of her programs with increasingly strong recruiting class, earning PrepVolleyball.com High Honorable Mention in 2017 and Highest Honorable Mention in 2018, the latter of which put the Norse in the top-55 recruiting classes nationally. Through the 2020 season, which was played in the Spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hart has led her Norse squads to seven-straight league tournament semifinal appearances, including the final season in the A-SUN and all six in the Horizon League. NKU is the only Horizon League school to reach the seminals in those six seasons.

In addition to on-court success, the Norse have been successful academically, posting the second-highest GPA of any team on campus in the Spring 2024 semester (3.67). 

Northern Kentucky posted another stellar season under Hart in 2023, finishing 18-13 overall with a 12-6 record in regular season conference matches. The Norse swept Oakland in the Horizon League quarterfinal, but ultimately fell in 5 sets to 2-seeded Green Bay in the Horizon League semis. NKU played a tough non-conference schedule, taking on #14 Ohio State, #3 Louisville, Missouri, South Dakota, Xavier, and Kennesaw State. Also in non-conference action, the Norse swept Morehead State's Comfort Inn-Vitational, defeating Butler, the hosting Eagles, and Indiana State. 4 of Hart's student-athletes were named All-Horizon League, with Joy Banks and Abby Kanakry being named First Team, Anna Burke Second Team, and Ava Hoying to the All-Freshman Team. In addition to this, Burke was named to the Horizon League's All-Academic Team. 

NKU continued their success under Hart in 2022 as well, advancing to their fourth Horizon League Championship game in five seasons. The Norse saw a loaded non-conference schedule facing opponents such as No. 4 ranked Louisville, Missouri, South Dakota, Bowling Green, No. 21 Western Kentucky twice, Ball State and No. 10 ranked Purdue. NKU swept through Green Bay in the opening round of the conference tournament but ultimately fell to arch rival Wright State in the finals in Dayton, Ohio. Northern Kentucky saw four student-athletes recognized at the end of the season for their high level of play which included Abby Kanakry, Reilly Briggs and Anna Burke receiving All-Horizon League First Team nods. Anna Brinkmann also earned an All-League Second Team selection as well. The Norse as a squad were honored with the 2022 United States Marine Corp/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award after posting a 3.58 grade point average during the 2021-22 academic year. This is now over 10 years that Northern Kentucky Volleyball as a squad have finished the academic year with a team GPA of 3.5 or better. 

The 2021 season featured yet another trip to the Horizon League Championship game after posting 20 overall wins during the regular season. NKU ultimately fell to No. 4 seeded UIC in the conference finals in a five-set thriller. The Norse racked up the post-season accolades beginning with Hart being named the 2021 Horizon League Coach of the Year. Anna Brinkmann, Reilly Briggs and Abby Kanakry were all selected to the All-Horizon League First Team, while Joy Banks and Sequoia Hunt earned All-Horizon League Freshman Team honors. Brinkmann additionally was named to the AVCA Northeast All-Region Honorable Mention Team

In 2019, Hart led the Norse to their first-ever NCAA Tournament, making volleyball just the third program to appear in the NCAA Tournament since NKU's transition to Division I. The Norse rolled through the Horizon League tournament, dropping just one set in three matches with wins over No. 5 UIC, No. 1 Wright State and No. 3 Milwaukee. Laura Crawford was named the Tournament MVP, while Shelby Olsen and Abby Kanakry earned all-tournament team honors. NKU went on to face Michigan in the first round in Lexington, Kentucky, falling in three sets to the Wolverines with two of the three being dropped by just three points. Following the regular season, Anna Brinkmann was named to the All-Horizon League First Team, and later earned AVCA All-Northeast Region honorable mention. Ashton Terrill was named to the all-league second team, while Kanakry and Reilly Briggs were named to the all-freshman team. Miranda Wucherer also earned postseason honors with a spot on the Horizon League All-Academic Team. Northern Kentucky  finished the season with an RPI of 49.

The Norse had a landmark season in 2018, advancing to the championship game of the Horizon League Tournament. NKU then received a bid to the NIVC to continue postseason play. Overall, the Norse went 21-10 and Haley Libs wrapped up a storied career that included four All-Horizon League nods, three all-academic honors, a finalist position for the Senior CLASS Award and AVCA All-Northeast Region Honorable Mention. NKU was the statistical champion with 19.83 digs per set, led by All-Horizon League First Team honoree Ashton Terrill's 5.56 digs per set. Western earned All-Horizon League honorable mention, while the freshman class raked in plenty of honors as Anna Brinkmann and Miranda Wucherer were named to the HL All-Freshman Team and Natalie Hardig earned all-tournament honors.

Libs repeated as an All-Horizon League First Team member in 2017, with Bailey Western landing on the All-Freshman Team. The Norse also shone academically, with Libs and McKenzie Eskridge both earning CoSIDA Academic All-Region distinction.

NKU continued to pick up All-League accolades in 2016, with Keely Creamer, Haley Libs and Taylor Snyder all landing on the Horizon League First Team while Laura Crawford earned All-Freshman Team honors. The Norse had tied their best Division I finish, going 11-5 to finish third in the Horizon League.

The 2015 saw another landmark, as the Norse were honored with the first conference individual honor of the Division I era when Haley Libs was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Year. After moving from the A-Sun to the Horizon League, the Norse went 14-16 on the season, including 8-8 in League play.

2014 marked the first year that the Norse competed in a conference tournament, advancing to the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Championship.  NKU finished with a 19-11 overall record and went 7-7 in the A-Sun, while three Norse were named All-A-Sun performers. Jenna Ruble was named to the A-Sun First Team, and both Taylor Snyder and Keely Creamer picked up second-team honors.

In 2013, NKU picked up marquee wins against Syracuse, Cincinnati and Navy before the team found itself eligible for conference postseason play in 2014. The Norse advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship and finished the season ranked No. 110 in the RPI among 334 Division I institutions.

 “We use the competitive cauldron to increase competition level amongst the players and get them competing at their highest level every practice,” says Hart. The cauldron ranks each player on a variety of axes each practice, forcing each player to be at her best every moment in practice and on the game court.

 The expectation of excellence continues not only on the court, but off as well. NKU’s volleyball teams have maintained above a 3.50 grade point average over the last four years and have earned the AVCA’s Team Academic Award in three recent seasons.

 Hart’s players log numerous community service hours, aiding local elementary schools and retirement homes, as well as the Henry Hosea House and Matthew 25. In addition, Norse volleyball players represent the program and the university on leadership boards of university, local, conference, regional and national scope.

 “We want our players to graduate and leave our program with self-confidence and have the leadership skills to tackle the next part of their lives,” added Hart. “We’re bringing in student-athletes who are driven, believe in our vision and will help to build on the success of our alumnae.”

Hart herself is one of those alumnae, having spent her playing career representing the Black and Gold. During her playing career, Hart was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2004, and in 2008 was named an NCAA Top 30 Woman of the Year recipient as well as the GLVC Player of the Year, Great Lakes Region Player of the Year, GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a First Team All-America selection from the AVCA. In addition, Hart was twice named an honorable mention All-American during her sophomore and junior years.

 She stands as NKU’s all-time kills leader with 1,850, ranks seventh at NKU with 1,191 career digs and second in block assists with 291.

 Hart resides in Fort Mitchell, Ky. with her husband, A.J., and their sons, James and Thomas, and daughter, Ellie.
 

Head Coaching Timeline

Year

School

Position

Record

Conference

Finish

Postseason
 
2024
 
 Northern Kentucky Head Coach 11-18 7-11 7th -

2023

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

18-13

12-6

4th

 -

2022

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

18-13

15-3

2nd

-

2021

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

20-8

15-2

2nd

-

2020

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

9-5

8-4

3rd

-

2019

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

19-13

9-7

4th

NCAA First Round

2018

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

21-10

11-5

T-2nd

NIVC First Round

2017

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

12-15

7-9

6th

-

2016

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

18-11

11-5

3rd

-

2015

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

14-16

8-8

4th

-

2014

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

19-11

7-7

T-3rd

-

2013

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

12-19

7-11

7th

-

2012

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

25-7

12-6

3rd

-

2011

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach

26-6

14-4

T-3rd

NCAA Midwest Regional

2010

Northern Kentucky

Head Coach (Interim)

14-8

10-4

T-3rd

-

Total (15 Years)

256-173 (.597)

153-92 (.624)