A former standout player and assistant coach within the region, Audrey Emerich enters her third season as head coach at California (PA) in 2026.
Emerich has quickly made an impact with the Vulcans, leading the program to a 19-11 overall record and a 6-8 mark in PSAC West play in 2025 after Cal finished 3-20 overall and 0-14 in league play the previous season.
In 2025, Emerich guided the Vulcans to their most victories since 2018 and a 16-win improvement from the previous year. Cal remained in contention for a berth in the PSAC Tournament until the final day of the regular season. The Vulcans also swept Clarion for the first time since 2016 and defeated Gannon, which went on to repeat as the NCAA Atlantic Region Champions.
The Vulcans featured a pair of All-PSAC West honorees in 2025, highlighted by Olivia Weiseman. Weiseman was selected as the AVCA Atlantic Region Freshman of the Year and PSAC West Freshman of the Year. She also received AVCA first-team all-region recognition and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, marking the program's first All-America merits since 2009 and first AVCA first-team all-region selection since 2016. Sarah Stephenson earned Second-Team All-PSAC West honors.
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-19 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. In 2023, 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 earned her master's degree in educational leadership from Wheeling in 2024.
Emerich and her husband Jason, a member of the Wheeling football coaching staff, currently reside in Wheeling, West Virginia.
