Gretchen Hand

Gretchen Hand is the Head Women's Volleyball Coach at Webber International University.

Coach Gretchen Hand begins her second year as the Head Women's Volleyball Coach at Webber International University during the 2020 season. She was announced as the Warriors' new head coach in March 2019.

Coach Hand joined the Warriors with nearly 20 years of volleyball coaching experience at the high school, club and collegiate levels.

Previously, Coach Hand spent two years coaching at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, as the head women's indoor and beach volleyball coach and head strength & conditioning coach while also working with the men's volleyball team as an assistant coach.

Before that, Coach Hand was the head volleyball coach at Fort Lauderdale High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where in 2014 she was named All-Star Coach of Broward County Schools.

Coach Hand’s other previous collegiate coaching experiences include stints as a recruiter and assistant at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri, and as an assistant at the University of Missouri-St Louis.

From 2001-2015, Hand transitioned into beach volleyball and moved to Manhattan Beach, California, to pursue her dream of playing professionally worldwide. She had main draw finishes in the AVP (American Volleyball Professionals), the NVL (National Volleyball League), Corona Wide Open, the EVP (Extreme Volleyball Professionals) and the FIVB, and was able to compete not only nationwide, but also internationally in Brazil, Colombia, Ireland and Thailand. Hand was coached in beach volleyball by Olympians Liz Masakyan and Holly McPeak. After a shoulder injury and surgery, she transitioned back into her love for kids, teaching and coaching at the collegiate level.

Coach Hand grew up in the St. Louis, Missouri, area and played high school volleyball for Hillsboro High School, leading her team as captain while earning all-conference, all-district and all-region honors.

Hand continued her college volleyball career at Jefferson Community College, the University of New Orleans and the University of Missouri-St Louis. While competing as an outside hitter and setter, she was named all-conference, all-district and all-region while being voted captain three of her four years. As a senior, Hand received the Student Major of the Year before graduating Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Missouri St. Louis in 2002.