Johnson & Wales University Providence

Michael Houlihan assumed the reigns of the JWU (Providence) volleyball program in August of 2022. During that span, he has guided the Wildcats to a 56-37 record (.613 winning pct.) and a pair of trips to the conference finals, winning the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) in 2022.  

Houlihan – who also handles all department finances at JWU – has seen a total of eight student-athletes receive all-conference honors during his tenure in Providence. Two of those selections – Peyton Oliver and Emily Corbett – went on to receive American Volleyball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Region 1 honors with Oliver snaring All-America Honorable Mention accolades in 2024. Corbett, meanwhile, was named GNAC Libero of the Year in 2022 while Nevaeh Arnold grabbed GNAC Rookie of the Year honors in 2024.

Houlihan arrived in Providence following 13 seasons at UMass Boston, the last eight as head coach. In 12 seasons on the UMB coaching staff, the Beacons compiled a record of 251-132 (.655 winning pct.) – including a 76-11 mark in Little East Conference (LEC) play – along with 10 LEC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, and three trips to the NCAA Elite 8 (2010, 2012, 2013). In his final season at UMB, Houlihan guided the Beacons to a 14-13 mark (5-3 LEC) and identical 3-2 wins over Keene State and Eastern Connecticut State in the LEC playoffs to capture their conference-record 10th championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Overall, Houlihan coached a total of 47 all-conference student-athletes at UMass Boston, including eight who were named LEC Offensive Player of the Year, five LEC Rookie of the Year winners, and four who received Defensive Player of the Year honors. Twenty went on to garner all-region accolades while 14 garnered All-America honors. Houlihan owns a career record of 307-169 (.645 winning pct.).

Houlihan – who was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) ‘Thirty Under 30’ list in 2013 – has been employed by the New England Region Volleyball Association since 2017, first as a head coach (2017-18) and currently as the co-Director. He helps train and prepare the most elite athletes in the New England region for the international tournament hosted by USA Volleyball High Performance.

The Shoreham, New York native cut his teeth in the collegiate coaching ranks at Newbury College, where he worked as an assistant coach during the 2010 campaign. Houlihan has worked numerous camps throughout his career, including stops at the University of Delaware and the University of New Hampshire, and speaks annually at the New England Region Volleyball Association workshop.

A 2009 graduate of Nazareth College with a B.S. in Business Administration, Houlihan was a four-year member of the men’s volleyball program who went on to earn his Masters of Business Administration from UMass Boston in 2012.