Ashley Tiernan joined the Eagles staff in the fall of 2019 after two years as the head volleyball coach at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. Tiernan took over the head coaching role on an interim basis on Oct. 11, 2019 before getting the permanent title on Dec. 3, 2019.

 

After taking over midseason in 2019, Tiernan guided the Eagles to a 20-3 overall record and a 10-2 mark in league action. Thirteen of those victories were sweeps as the team lost a total of 16 sets over the 23-match period.

 

Carson-Newman won its third South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship on Nov. 23. C-N swept Mars Hill, toppled Wingate in four frames and swept Queens on its home floor for the trophy. The victory over the Bulldogs was the second time that the Eagles took down a ranked Wingate crew, the first time in school history the team beat two ranked teams in one season.

 

Tiernan guided the crew to its second-highest seeding in the NCAA Tournament as the team was the No. 3 seed in the Southeast Region bracket leading the team to a sweep of Anderson in the first round, a four-set win over Flagler before taking down Augusta in straight sets in the region title match. It clinched the second region championship in school history making the 2019 team the only team in program history to hoist to tournament trophies in the same year.

 

The stretch was highlighted by an eight-match winning streak from Oct. 5-22 to cap a 10-2 record in October. It was the first time that C-N produced double-digit victories in one month since October 2015. The eight-match winning streak was the 11th-longest in Division II at the time and the longest by the team since October 2014 when it won nine consecutive. C-N lost a total of three sets during the streak.

 

To open up her tenure, the Eagles swept the Peach Belt Crossover beating Georgia College, USC Aiken, Augusta and Lander dropping two total sets on Oct. 11-12, 2019. The victory over Aiken handed the Pacers their first loss of the season ending the seventh-longest winning streak in the NCAA. 

 

Not to be outdone, one week later Carson-Newman handed Wingate one of its two losses on the year. The regular-season champions were ranked No. 22 and one of four remaining undefeated teams left in America. The Eagles ended a 22-match regular-season winning streak in four sets on Oct. 19 at Holt Fieldhouse. It snapped an 11-match winning streak over C-N since the Eagles last won over a ranked team back on Nov. 4, 2014 when the ‘Dogs were ranked seventh playing at home.

 

The Orange and Blue went 10-1 at home during her first month-plus bringing the season total to 14 triumphs inside of Holt to break the program record set in 2002 that set the high-water mark for wins in a season with 31.

With 28 wins on the year, the team secured a 20-win season for the first time since 2015 when the unit won 29 matches and the lone Southeast Region Championship in C-N history. The Eagles have 11 years with 20-plus wins including seven over the past 13 seasons.

 

While at LeTourneau, the 2018 season saw Tiernan coach the ASC Conference Freshman of the Year, and three athletes named to the All-American Southwest Conference East Division Team. Two athletes from the 2018 squad finished in the top-10 in single season school record categories. The 2017 season saw Tiernan coach two All-American Southwest Conference East Division Athletes, while also coaching LETU’s ASC Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor recipient. Three athletes from the 2017 squad finished in the top-10 in single season school record categories. 

 

Before her two year stint at LeTourneau, Tiernan spent four seasons at Porter High School as the head volleyball coach. While at Porter High School, Tiernan helped turn a new program into a successful one. She led the Spartans to three consecutive playoff appearances in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

 

In the 2014 season, Tiernan coached her team to a District 21-5A championship. Her team then continued on to collect bi-district and area championships before their regional appearance. At the end of the 2014 season, Tiernan was selected as the District 21-5A Coach of the Year and the All Area Coach of the Year.

 

In 2016, Tiernan ended her last season as head coach for the Spartans by coaching in her third playoff appearance and picking up her second bi-district championship. While at Porter, Tiernan posted a 91-52 record in four seasons and is the winningest coach in school history. Prior to her time at Porter, she also served as an assistant coach at Cypress Creek High School for two seasons and one year at Klein High School.

 

Over the past 15 years, Tiernan has been coaching at various clubs with her last 4 seasons ending at TAV Houston. She spent three seasons assisting with Beach Volleyball programs.  Her extensive knowledge of volleyball is backed by her years playing club volleyball in high school.

 

After high school, Tiernan received a scholarship to play at the University of Illinois at Springfield. While at UIS, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass Media Communication with a minor in psychology as well as her master’s degree in Interpersonal Communication.

 

Tiernan lives in East Tennessee with her husband Benjamin and their first child, Raylan, born in March 2020.