A former standout player and assistant within the region, Audrey Emerich enters her first season as head coach at California (PA) in 2024.
Emerich, formerly Audrey Francis, joined the Vulcans following a two-year stint as a graduate assistant at Wheeling following a decorated playing career with the Cardinals. As a coach, she helped the Cardinals win back-to-back Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championships and make a pair of appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Emerich played at Wheeling from 2017-21 and helped the program amass a dominating 71-3 record in league play with five-consecutive MEC Championships and four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including an Atlantic Regional Championship in 2018.
Emerich was chosen the MEC Libero of the Year in all five seasons of her career and ranks as the league's all-time leader with both 3,467 total digs and 6.17 digs per set. She earned All-America status from both the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) twice in her career, while being chosen the AVCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year as a senior.
Emerich made an instant impact as a player for the Cardinals in 2017, as she was tabbed to the All-MEC Freshman Team and totaled a then-single-season league record 737 total digs. The Cardinals hosted the regional tournament and advanced to the finals after capturing the MEC Championship. The following year, she helped the program earn its fifth regional title in six years and advance to the national quarterfinals. Emerich was chosen a D2CCA Second-Team All-American in 2018 after setting the then-conference record with 6.29 digs per set while resetting her league mark with 874 total digs, which was second-most in the country.
As a junior, Emerich received AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and the Cardinals advanced to the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament. Wheeling played a shortened 2020 campaign in the spring in response to the COVID pandemic and she established a MEC Tournament record with 90 total digs. Emerich closed her playing career in 2021 and earned AVCA All-America Third-Team status while setting the MEC single-season record with 6.63 digs per set.
Emerich transitioned to a graduate assistant at Wheeling in 2022 under longtime head coach Christy Benner, who led the program to the 2015 NCAA National Championship. The Cardinals won a 10th-consecutive MEC Championship in her first year on the coaching staff and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Last fall, Wheeling again won the MEC Championship and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for a 15th-consecutive season.
In addition to her time at Wheeling, Emerich has coached at the club level in the region with the Ohio Valley Volleyball Club. She has worked at the club level as a head coach and skills leader.
Emerich earned all-state honors at the scholastic level while playing for Fairlawn High School in Sidney, Ohio. She was a four-sport athlete in high school, lettering in volleyball, basketball, softball and track & field.
She completed her bachelor's degree from Wheeling in special education with a minor in psychology in 2021. Emerich is set to complete her master's degree in educational leadership at Wheeling next month.
Emerich and her husband Jason, a member of the Wheeling football coaching staff, currently reside in Wheeling, West Virginia.
