Merry Graf

Merry Graf is the Women's Head Volleyball Coach at Webster University.

Merry Graf enters her 23rd season as the head women's volleyball coach at Webster University in 2022-23. The Gorloks have won the SLIAC Tournament eight times in the past 14 seasons, automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships in all of their SLIAC Tournament title years.

Webster was awarded the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 17th year and 15th consecutive season in 2022-23 while compiling an impressive 3.6 team GPA.

In the 2022 season, Graf led her team to a 15-12 overall record and a 9-5 mark in the conference. Her team finished third in the SLIAC and were defeated by eventual champion, Fontbonne University, in the semifinals of the SLIAC Tournament. For their efforts, four players were named All-SLIAC while the team won the SLIAC Team Sportsmanship Award.

In 2021, Graf led the Gorloks to a 13-14 overall record on the season and a 6-6 record in SLIAC play. Her team finished fifth in the conference and knocked off the fourth-seeded Fontbonne (Mo.) University Griffins in the SLIAC Quarterfinals. Following the conclusion of the season, Lauren Borik was named the SLIAC Player of the Year for the second straight season.

During the 2020-21 season that was played in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gorloks went 12-5 overall and 10-3 in the SLIAC and were the No. 3 seed in the SLIAC Tournament. Along the way during the season, the Gorloks were nationally ranked in the AVCA Division III coaches poll for five weeks, including making it as high as No. 14 for two consecutive weeks. In addition, the Gorloks won the Bronze Bracket consolation title at the AVCA Division III National Invitational in Indianapolis, Ind.

In 2019, the Gorloks posted a 17-12 record and went 14-4 in the SLIAC finished third in the league standings, and advanced to the SLIAC Tournament for the 16th consecutive season.

Graf has been named the SLIAC Coach of the Year four times (2005, 2007, 2011, and 2012.) while compiling a stellar 280-55 (.807) record in the SLIAC. Graf has 468 collegiate wins overall as she won her 400th career game in 2018 with a three-set sweep at Westminster (Mo.) College and has a record of 415-248 (.626) guiding the Gorloks. She has coached 89 SLIAC All-Conference players, six SLIAC Newcomers of the Year, seven Defensive Players of the Year, five SLIAC Players of the Year, and an AVCA All-American.

Prior to Webster, Graf spent five seasons as the head volleyball coach at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Graf has coached grade school, high school, and USA Juniors volleyball teams in the area as well.

She graduated from Millikin University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications and earned a Masters of Education in Kinesiology from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. She is also a USA Volleyball Coaching Accreditation Program (CAP) Level II Coach. Graf was a standout collegiate athlete in softball and volleyball, earning the Millikin University's Best Blocker Award for volleyball and setting a record for most hits in a game with 5 for softball.