Sarah Rumely Noble

Sarah Rumely Noble, a former SEC Player of the Year and all-American, has been named the University of South Carolina’s 12th head volleyball coach, athletics director Jeremiah Donati announced Monday, March 31. Rumely Noble comes to Columbia after three seasons as head coach of Appalachian State volleyball and previously spent seven seasons as an assistant coach in the SEC following a hall of fame playing career at Kentucky.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sarah to South Carolina to lead our volleyball program,” Donati said. “She is a rising star in the coaching circles and is a great fit for us as her values are aligned with ours here at the University. Having been a player and assistant coach in the SEC, she knows what it takes to be successful in our league. She will be a great leader for our volleyball student-athletes and we look forward to her taking our program to greater heights.”

The Mountaineers went from averaging seven wins per season in the three years prior to her arrival, to averaging 17 wins over her first three seasons at the helm. In her first year in Boone, Rumely Noble led the Mountaineers to an 18-10 record, highlighted by a season-ending stretch of 11 wins in the final 12 matches. In the most recent fall campaign, App State went 18-10 and earned a spot in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), with four individuals making all-conference.

“I am humbled and excited to be the next leader of South Carolina volleyball,” Rumely Noble said. “I want to thank Jeremiah Donati, Erin Abbey, and the rest of the search committee for believing in my vision and entrusting me with this program. The energy in the athletic department is evident and I can’t wait to meet all of Gamecock Nation! I look forward to getting to work and creating a culture of excellence in all aspects of this program.”

Rumely Noble joined the Mountaineers from LSU, where she worked as an assistant for five seasons, including as the Tigers’ associate head coach in 2021. Serving as LSU’s recruiting coordinator, Rumely Noble helped the Tigers bring in three nationally ranked classes in 2019 (13th), 2020 (22nd) and 2022 (17^th). In her last four recruiting classes at LSU, Rumely Noble helped sign nine top-100 players, including the top-ranked player from South Carolina in the 2023 freshman class.

Over five seasons on the court, the Tigers posted 67 victories with a berth in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, while she helped implement a faster offensive system and worked primarily with the setters, her position group earned SEC Setter of the Week six times, and two made the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Prior to LSU, Rumely Noble spent two seasons at Arkansas, where she ran the defense in 2016 and directed the offense in 2015. She also coached at Wake Forest from 2013-15, recruiting three players that earned All-ACC honors and working primarily with the team’s setters. She began her coaching career at North Texas for two seasons (2010-11) where she helped the team to 43 wins.

Rumely Noble was a four-time All-SEC setter and two-time AVCA All-American at Kentucky from 2006-09, where she earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2006 and SEC Player of the Year honors in 2008. She also was named a third-team Academic All-American in 2009, after making the honorable mention team in 2008. She led the Wildcats to four NCAA Tournament appearances and is still the program’s all-time leader in both career and single season assists and service aces. She was inducted into the Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017, was named an SEC Women’s Legend in 2019, and made the school’s “Title IX Top 50” team, honoring the 50 greatest Wildcat women’s athletes of the Title IX era, in 2022.

“I love the SEC and am so excited to be back in the league,” Rumely Noble said. “The growth of volleyball nationally and the competitiveness of SEC volleyball makes this an exciting time. We look forward to putting a great product out on the court to make our fans proud.”

She graduated from Kentucky in the spring of 2010 with a degree in education-kinesiology. Following graduation, she played overseas in the top professional division in France, Ligue A, where she was the starting setter for Nantes Volley Feminin from 2010-11.

Coaching Timeline
2022-March 2025: Appalachian State University, Head Coach
2021: Louisiana State University, Associate Head Coach
2017-2020: Louisiana State University, Assistant Coach
2015-2017: University of Arkansas, Assistant Coach
2013-2015: Wake Forest University, Assistant Coach
2011-2013: University of North Texas, Assistant Coach

Playing Career
2010-2011: Nantes Volley Feminin (France)
2006-2010: University of Kentucky

Education
University of Kentucky
2010: Bachelors, Education-Kinesiology