LONGVIEW, Texas -- All coaches get their start somewhere and for LeTourneau head volleyball coach Alison Williams it was Bryan College.

The college, located in Dayton, Tenn., and a member of the NAIA, was where Williams (Young back then), was challenged on the court and in the classroom, and where she met her husband, Nick. 

It was also where she starred on the court for the NAIA institution. Williams was a four-year member of the Bryan volleyball team from 2007-10 where she finished with over 1,400 career kills in over 550 sets played and set the program record for total aces.

Williams was inducted into the college's Hall of Fame during the fall of 2022 for her efforts as a student-athlete and later as an assistant coach.

"My time at Bryan was very precious to me. It's where I found my husband. It's where I found lifelong friends through my teammates and classmates. It's where I was able to see the volleyball program reach new heights in excellence. And most importantly it's where I found the Lord," Williams said. 

On the court, Williams was a standout. She ranks second in program history in career kills, first in career aces, and was an NCCAA All-America honorable mention during her career. She also earned All-Appalachian Athletic Conference honors three times and was an All-Region performer.

In the classroom, Williams thrived as she was a two-time AAC All-Academic recipient to go with NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete honors. She earned the Lion of Valor award and was the Bryan College Student Body President during her time in Dayton.

Most importantly, however, Bryan is where she found the Lord. Williams credits her coach, professors, and friends as being paramount to her new walk with Christ. 

Following graduation in 2011, she stayed at Bryan as an assistant coach with the program for three years. During that tenure, Williams was part of the staff that guided the Lions to an 85-33 (.720) record, the program's first Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season and tournament championships in 2012 and 2013, and NAIA Tournament appearances in both of those seasons.

From that point on, Williams' coaching career took off.

In 2014, she accepted her first head coaching position at Martin Methodist. In six seasons at the helm of that program, Williams' teams went 101-93 and went to the RedHawks' first NAIA Tournament in 2019 after going 27-11 as Williams was named SSAC Coach of the Year and AVCA/NAIA co-Region Coach of the Year.

She was named to the AVCA Thirty Under 30 Award list in 2018 as one of the best young coaches in the nation.

Williams then spent two seasons at Lincoln Memorial before arriving at LeTourneau in 2022. Her first year with the YellowJackets saw the program go 15-12 with four All-ASC selections, including the Libero of the Year (Morgan Nix).

Thirteen years removed from her playing career, Williams enters her 10th season as a collegiate head coach when LeTourneau opens 2023 at St. Thomas on Sept. 1.

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