Bio

Kim Kelly’s 13th year as the head coach of the Carnegie Mellon University volleyball team witnessed her 500th career win and an NCAA tournament victory. Kelly led the Tartans to their second straight NCAA Championship tournament in 2017 after finishing the regular season as the top team in the University Athletic Association and placing third at the UAA tournament. Kelly also recorded her most wins at the helm of the Tartans in 2017 when the team finished with a 30-5 record.

The 2017 team started the year with a 16-0 record, put together a 5-2 showing against nationally ranked opponents, rose to the program’s best national ranking (6th), and finished ranked 15th in the nation by the AVCA. At year’s end, Kelly was named the AVCA North Region Coach of the Year while four players garnered All-America recognition with a fifth player earning All-Region accolades.

Under Kelly, the program has earned four NCAA Championship bids, two ECAC South Volleyball Championships with two runner-up finishes and five top-three finishes in the UAA.

Three seniors earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honors in 2016, after the Tartans finished second in the UAA and were nationally ranked for the entire season. During the year, the program elevated to 14th in the nation, receiving its highest-ever ranking. Jackie Gibbons became the second repeat All-America selection under Kelly while Molly Higgins earned her second ECAC Division III South Defensive Player of the Year award.

The 2015 season saw Kelly win her 450th game and 200th as the leader of the Tartans. Carnegie Mellon posted a 29-8 record and climbed into the national rankings for the first time since the 2004 season and were ranked has high as 20th throughout the season.  The team had two members named AVCA All-Region with one, junior middle blocker Jackie Gibbons, garnering All-America status.  Junior libero Molly Higgins was named ECAC Division III South Defensive Player of the Year while two others were honored as ECAC All-Stars.

In 2014, the Tartans finished fourth in the UAA with six players earning All-UAA recognition, including freshman Heather Holton earning the program's first UAA Rookie of the Year honor. With 23 wins for the year, the Tartans finished second in the ECAC South Volleyball Championship, as Holton was named AVCA All-Region and senior Ali Celentano pulled in her second first-team All-UAA honor and ECAC All-Star award.

Kelly's ninth year as the leader of the Carnegie Mellon volleyball team held great significance to her career as she won her 400th game. Kelly returned the Tartans to the NCAA tournament, the program's second showing under her, and a third-place UAA finish in 2013.

A key win in the 2013 season came in the third-place match at the UAA Championships when the Tartans defeated eighth-ranked Washington University for just the second time in school history. The win capped off a season where the Tartans defeated two nationally ranked opponents and received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

Two players reached the 1,000-kill plateau in 2013 with junior Ali Celentano receiving All-Region recognition for the second time.

The 2008 squad which appeared in the NCAA tournament, defeated Lebanon Valley in the first round for the program's second NCAA postseason victory.

Prior to Carnegie Mellon, Kelly was the head women’s volleyball coach at Gettysburg College from 1996 through 2004. During her tenure, the Bullets posted a 250-82 record, captured eight Centennial Conference titles and appeared in eight NCAA Division III Championship Tournaments. She was an assistant coach at Gettysburg for four seasons before becoming head coach.

A member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and chairman of the Mid-Atlantic All-Regional team selection committee for two years, Kelly also served as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Region Selection Committee for the NCAA Division III Tournament.

A 1992 graduate of Gettysburg, Kelly was regarded as one of the top setters ever to play for the Bullets. During her four seasons (1988-91), she was credited with 2,079 assists, the highest total in school history upon graduation. Kelly earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Gettysburg and a master’s of business administration from Mount St. Mary’s in 2003. In 2016, Kelly was inducted to the Gettysburg's Hall of Athletic Honor.

Kelly and her husband Doug reside in Irwin, Pa., with their two children Samantha (18) and Zachary (16).