Alex Hinsey has been named as the head women's volleyball coach at the University of Mary Washington, according to Interim Director of Athletics Patrick Catullo. Hinsey comes to UMW after two successful seasons coaching women's and men's volleyball at Elizabethtown College.
"We look forward to having Alex Hinsey join UMW Athletics to be the next head coach of the volleyball program and continue the team's tradition of excellence", said Catullo. "Coach Hinsey's experience and coaching ability will be a great asset to the team and the department."
"I want to say thank you to Patrick Catullo, the search committee, and the University for giving me the tremendous opportunity to lead the University of Mary Washington women's volleyball program", said Hinsey. "I am beyond excited to get to know each student-athlete to help them achieve their goals on and off the volleyball court as well as taking on the challenge of continuing and growing the standard of excellence the program has established in the past. My new wife and I are thrilled to start our life together in Fredericksburg and look forward to becoming members of the University of Mary Washington community."
The Elizabethtown women produced back-to-back 19-win seasons in Hinsey's tenure, and this spring, he guided the school's first ever men's program to 11 victories.
Hinsey spent five years building contending programs at the scholastic level in Pittsburgh prior to his arrival at Elizabethtown.
A University of Pittsburgh graduate, Hinsey took over at Upper St. Clair High School in 2014, and he rewarded the school's decision by winning the section in each of his three seasons as head coach. Hinsey guided the Panthers to a three-year record of 46-12, including 34 victories in 36 league matches.
In 2015, the Panthers collected a third-place finish in the WPIAL and District 7 to qualify for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class AAA state tournament for the first time since 2007. The Panthers swept District 8 champion Allderdice, 3-0, to reach the quarterfinals before being ousted by District 7 champion Baldwin. The most successful season in program history ended with Upper St. Clair ranked sixth in the final Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association's (PVCA) state poll.
Hinsey developed 16 all-section players, seven All-WPIAL selections and four PVCA All-State picks in Samantha Amos (2014 and 2015), Alex Amos (2015) and Isabelle Walsh (2016). Samantha Amos was a 2015 Under Armour Second Team All-American and went on to play collegiately at NCAA Division I Duke University, where she made the Atlantic Coast Conference's (ACC) All-Freshman Team as an outside hitter in 2016.
Prior to guiding the Panthers from 2014-16, Hinsey was the head coach at Burgettstown High School in 2013. He served as interim head coach at Moon Area High School in 2012.
As the varsity boys' head coach at Steel Valley High School from 2013-17, Hinsey posted 35 wins. He helped the Ironmen to the WPIAL Class AA Section 3 title in 2014 –the program's first section crown since 1985— and 2015. In both seasons, Hinsey's teams reached the WPIAL quarterfinals. Along the way, he mentored 14 all-section and two All-WPIAL players.
Hinsey, a Reading, Pennsylvania native, played scholastically at Exeter Township High School, winning a District 3 Class AA championship and PIAA Class AA state championship with the Eagles in 2007. He was an All-Berks Division I selection in 2006 and 2007, as Exeter won back-to-back county championships.
Hinsey served as a player/coach for the University of Pittsburgh's club team. The Panthers were perennially ranked in the top 25 of Division I club programs by the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation (NCVF). In 2013, Hinsey was named a NCVF Division I-AA All-American. Hinsey graduated from Pitt in 2011 with a degree in business administration and received his MBA from the school in 2014, focusing on marketing and finance.
Aside from his coaching duties at the scholastic level, Hinsey worked in the athletic department at Robert Morris University as the marketing and ticket sales manager for three years. Before his appointment at RMU, Hinsey held the role of customer service specialist in the University of Pittsburgh's athletic department.
Hinsey, who also has coaching experience at the club level with Pittsburgh Three Rivers Volleyball Club, is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), PVCA and USA Volleyball.