Head Coach Lindsey Gray-Walton

LINDSEY GRAY-WALTON

HEAD COACH | FOURTH SEASON | GEORGIA TECH ‘08

Lindsey Gray-Walton enters her fourth season as head coach of the Oklahoma volleyball team in 2021 after leading the Sooners to their first NCAA Tournament Appearance (2019) since 2014.

In 2020, Gray-Walton coached Guewe Diouf and Keyton Kinley to All-Big 12 honors. Additionally, Diouf was named the AVCA Southwest Region Freshman of the Year. Nine Sooners also earned Academic All-Big 12 first-team honors, while the four-member freshmen class earned Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team honors.

The Sooners earned 19 wins in 2019, finishing 19-9 overall. The Sooners finished in third place in the Big 12 to match its second-best finish all-time.

Under Gray-Walton, Paige Anderson, Ashlynn Dunbar, Keyton Kinley, Kylee McLaughlin and Sarah Sanders were all named to the All-Big 12 teams, setting a program record for all-conference selections in a season. Kinley was named the Libero of the Year for the second year in a row, becoming the first Sooner to earn back-to-back honors.

Dunbar, Kinley, McLaughlin and Sanders were named to the AVCA AllSouthwest Region Teams, matching OU’s highest all-time total, also achieved in 2014.

The Sooners garnered 17 wins in 2018, finishing 17-11 overall. OU earned 10 more wins than in 2017, good for its fourth-biggest turnaround in program history and best since 2006. Additionally, Oklahoma earned a share of third place in the Big 12. Tying for third marked OU’s best Big 12 finish since 2014.

Under Gray-Walton’s tutelage, Alyssa Enneking, Keyton Kinley, Kylee McLaughlin and Paige Anderson were all named to the All-Big 12 Teams. Two Sooners earned individual Big 12 season awards as Kinley was named Libero of the Year and McLaughlin was named Co-Setter of the Year to mark the third time in program history that multiple Oklahoma athletes earned end-ofyear awards from the league. Three more Sooners were named to the AVCA All-Southwest Region First Team in Enneking, Kinley and McLaughlin, tying a program record for most first team selections in a season. Three total regional accolades match OU’s second-highest total all-time.

Kinley was named an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selection to become the first defensive specialist in program history to earn the accolade.

University of Oklahoma Vice President and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione announced the hiring of Lindsey Gray-Walton as the head coach of the Sooners’ volleyball program on December 24, 2017.

Prior to OU, Gray-Walton spent eight seasons on Craig Skinner’s staff at Kentucky as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) 2017 National Assistant Coach of the Year. Gray-Walton was recognized by the AVCA in 2012 as one of the “Top 30 Coaches Under 30.”

The Oklahoma City-born Gray-Walton helped Kentucky to eight postseason appearances during her time in Lexington. From 2010-17, the Wildcats went 189-67 and posted a program-best 29-3 mark in 2017 during that stretch. Working with Kentucky’s back row passers and outside hitters, Gray-Walton oversaw the development of three-time SEC Libero of the Year Ashley Dusek, and helped individual Wildcats earn 20 AVCA All-America honors.

Prior to joining Kentucky’s staff, Gray-Walton was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the College of Charleston in 2009. She helped the Cougars to the Southern Conference title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament with an 18-13 overall record.

Gray-Walton is a 2008 graduate of Georgia Tech, where she earned All-ACC honors as a player. The Yellow Jackets won 20 or more matches three times in her career and posted a 27-7 overall mark on a perfect 16-0 season in ACC play her freshman year.

Raised in Olathe, Kan., Gray-Walton earned her Bachelor of Science degree in management at Georgia Tech with certificates in marketing and management. In May 2012, she married Kyle Walton. They have two daughters: Berkley and Scottie.