The new year’s kicked off on a great note for a Texan coach. But has it been so for American volleyball? Well, the fans are divided after a major shakeup from the USA Volleyball camp. There’s been a coaching change and naturally, fans are concerned about the new face who is slated to be at the head of the national program. The big question is, will USA volleyball be doomed after replacing coach Karch Kiraly or are they setting themselves up for success?

Under coach Kiraly, the USA Volleyball women failed to defend their Olympic champion title in Paris last year and settled for a silver. On the flip side, the men jumped from a disappointing 10th finish to the bronze rank. So, there have been a mix of highs and lows. But yes, after Kiraly led the team to three Olympic medals and a World Championship title, volleyball fans are feeling uneasy watching the reins switch hands. Here’s how they have been reacting.

USA Volleyball surprised the sports world on January 6, 2025, when it announced Erik Sullivan as the new head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team. At the women’s collegiate level, Sullivan has been the associate head coach at the University of Texas for the past 14 years, where he’s steered the Longhorns to 8 NCAA Final Four appearances and 3 national titles. He also holds the reputation of being the ‘master of defensive systems.’

But at a time when the 2025 Volleyball Nations League season that begins in June is barely months away, is this a well-thought-out decision? Not many believe so. In fact, one of the fans highlighted a stark reality—the upsetting absence of female coaches from the scene. They wrote, “By the end of the LA quad it will be over 20 years since a female head coach was in charge of the women’s national team. There is one female head coach in the FIVB top 20 teams. I’m disappointed in John Speraw and USAVolleyball.” 

Interestingly, the President and CEO of USA Volleyball, John Speraw, hadn’t been silent on this switch either. He’d explained, “With the Women’s National Team season set to begin in less than six months, we knew we had to move quickly but thoughtfully.” Yes, there was a sense of urgency behind this decision. But USA Volleyball still needed someone well-versed in elite-level strategy and capable of managing a high-performance environment.

Given these conditions, Erik Sullivan was a clear choice. But this hardly matches the fan sentiment. There are multiple reasons why volleyball enthusiasts feel this call may not be USA Volleyball’s best so far.

Can the new USA Volleyball coach match up to the expectations?

Ever since the news first came out, there have been many fans who must have thought that USA Volleyball had been blinded. After all, who places someone who has never coached a team on his own at the helm of a national program? Resonating with this sentiment, one of the fans added, “Surprised. Did he have international coaching experience or even head coach experience?”

Well, Erik Sullivan may have been an assistant head coach at Texas, but that doesn’t discount the impressive experience he brings to the table. Apart from playing across Europe internationally, Sullivan’s a two-time Olympian himself, who was part of the USA’s 2000 and 2004 Olympic squads. He’d also been the team leader and consultant coach for the USA Volleyball Men’s National Team for the last three Games and has collegiate coaching experience with both Nebraska and Colorado.

Thus, fans should have no reason to doubt his command over the sport. But, at the end of the day, it’s a sport and there will be plenty of talent to choose from. Perhaps that’s why some felt Erik Sullivan wasn’t the right pick, favoring Pittsburgh’s Dan Fischer instead. One of them commented, “Heard rumors that Dan Fisher was in the running for this. He’ll be back at #Pitt next season.”

Named the National Coach of the Year, Dann Fischer comes from a place of coaching royalty. And that’s reflected in the way the Panthers have wrapped up the 2024 season. Consistency? It was a treat to watch the Pittsburgh Panthers play this season. With a 33-1 record, they touched the most wins in program history and lifted their sixth ACC conference title. But clearly, something about Sullivan stood out to USA Volleyball.

No—there’s no need for a wild guess! One of the fans has rightly identified that differentiating trait. “Congrats Coach Sullivan! always enjoyed our conversations and how kind he’s been w his time for me and my ?s while at @TexasVolleyball ❤️ his philosophy on culture and working w elite athletes. A Win for US!” 

As he spoke about USA Volleyball’s decision, John Speraw remarked that the U.S. Women’s National Team has always been a close-knit group, and thus, cultural fit was a non-negotiable factor for them. First off, they needed someone who blended well into this dynamic community and could build on the team’s culture of excellence. Given these, Sullivan stood out more than Dan Fischer.

But what about the other way around? Is Erik Sullivan happy with the call? Well, a fan states a possible reason that he might not be. “Interesting. TX associate head coach, not head coach. Don’t know anything about this guy but I wonder if salary makes this a tough gig for a big time NCAA head coach to take.” And now the big question is, will salary be an actual issue for Sullivan over this national honor?

Well, as per Volleyball Mag, the base pay for the Texas head coach salary in 2023 was around $557,500, which was the second highest after Nebraska. Similarly, the estimated fiscal year 2022 compensation was around $957,844 for Texas. While USA Volleyball describes the salary for the Women’s National Team Head Coach to be around $350,000 – $375,000. Oh boy, isn’t this a substantial dip for Sullivan?

It certainly is. But it’s hardly enough to steer him away from this national job. In fact, Sullivan welcomes the move with open arms. “I’m honored and excited to take on this new responsibility as head coach of the US Women’s National Team,” he said. The man’s even chalking out where he hopes to take the program already! Building on the strong foundation and allowing the athletes an environment where they can fully develop is his goal.

However, the fans back home are certainly upset by the void he’ll leave in Texas’ volleyball program. “Wow. Congratulations Eric!! We’ll miss you at TexasWow. Congratulations Eric!! We’ll miss you at Texas” noted a fan. While the search for Erik’s replacement has already started, it’s certainly difficult for someone to swoop in and fill in his big shoes. What do you think? Let us know below!