The 2018 season will mark head coach Lori Duncan’s 21st at the helm of the Eastern Kentucky University volleyball program. Under her guidance, Eastern Kentucky captured a share of consecutive regular season titles in 2004 and 2005, winning the conference tournament in 2004 and earning the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Duncan has the program back where it belongs, among the top teams in the Ohio Valley Conference. She has led the Colonels to the OVC Tournament semifinals three times in the last five seasons. EKU has posted a winning conference record and qualified for the league tournament for five straight years.
In 2017, the Colonels fought off four match points and score six unanswered to upend Belmont. In 2016, Eastern upset No. 4 seed Belmont on the way to the OVC final four. In 2014, she led the team to its first 20-win season since 2005 and a third place finish in the league standings. The year before, Duncan led the Colonels to their first winning season (18-16) in seven years. Despite entering the OVC Tournament as the No. 6 seed, EKU advanced to the final four.
Under Duncan’s tutelage, Ashley Edmond was selected as the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and chosen to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer team. Edmond then earned All-OVC recognition for three straight seasons. Dena Ott broke the program record for career digs in 2015. She registered 687 digs that season, second most in team history, on her way to being named OVC Defensive Player of the Year. Rachel Woody was chosen as the OVC Freshman of the Year in 2016 and Chloe Rojas was chosen as the OVC Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.
The 2004 OVC Coach of the Year recorded three straight 20-plus win seasons at EKU after inheriting a team featuring all walk-ons in her first season (1998). During her tenure, Duncan has revitalized a volleyball program that had previously won numerous Ohio Valley Conference championships.
Eastern Kentucky advanced to the title game of the OVC tournament in both 2004 and 2005, winning the crown in 2004 for the first time since 1990 and making the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance in two decades. That same year, Duncan led the Colonels to a school-record 15 conference wins and followed that with 14 conference wins the following season.
In 19 years on the sidelines for the Colonels, Duncan’s players have earned numerous league and national accolades. In 2005, Liz Guard was named to the AVCA Division I All-Midwest Region team and was honored as an AVCA honorable mention All-American. In 2007 Brittany Nobilio earned her third OVC Defensive Player of Year award, was selected first team All-OVC and honorable mention all-region. Nobilio concluded her career as the NCAA record holder for digs per set and third on the NCAA’s all-time career digs list. Duncan’s players have earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors 26 times and have earned spots on the All-Freshman/Newcomer teams 11 times.
As just the second coach in the history of Eastern Kentucky volleyball, as well as a former all-conference player for the Colonels, Duncan has a deep understanding of the university. No stranger to Richmond, Duncan began her collegiate playing career at Eastern in 1980 under the guidance of former Colonel Head Coach Geri Polvino and played an intricate role on three straight OVC Championship teams and one NCAA Tournament squad.
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During her four-year collegiate career, Duncan was a key player for three of EKU’s seven-consecutive OVC championship teams. While at Eastern, Duncan was a four-time All-OVC selection (1980-83), an OVC All-Tournament team honoree (1983) and an AIAW All-Region choice in 1980 as an outside hitter. She was also chosen as EKU’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1984 and won team awards for Best All-Around Player and Best Defensive Player following her senior campaign. Duncan still sits third among all Eastern players with a .271 career hitting percentage.
“To be back at my alma mater doing something I love is just fantastic,” Duncan said. “Few people can know what it’s like to come back and lead a program you once played for.”
Duncan’s collegiate coaching career began at Penn State-McKeesport where she led both the men’s and women’s volleyball teams for five years. She then spent five seasons as the head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1993-97). Duncan has also gained coaching experience at the Junior Olympic level, leading teams to the East Coast championship during three years. At the junior level, she coached 10 athletes who furthered their education at such Division I schools as Penn State, Ohio State, Arkansas, North Carolina State, Kent State, Loyola (Md.) and EKU. In 1995-96, her Nike Steel City Juniors were ranked 25th in the nation.
Duncan received her bachelor of science in recreation and park administration with a minor in physical education from EKU in 1984. She later completed two master’s degrees at Eastern Kentucky, for physical education in 1986 and for student personnel services in 1987.
