Bio

Matt Cribbin was named the 12th head women’s volleyball coach in American International College history in February 2012. In January 2021, Cribbin was promoted to Director of Volleyball as the department added a men’s volleyball program. He has posted an overall record of 214-135 with a 100-48 record in Northeast-10 Conference matches. 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
Years: 2012-present (head coach)
Career Record: 234-167
AIC Record: 214-135, 100-48 NE10
NCAA East Region Championships: 2 (2016, 2018)
NCAA Appearances: 6 (2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023)
NE10 Tournament Championships: 2 (2021, 2022)
NE10 Regular Season Championships: 2 (2021, 2022)

AVCA All-Americans: 8/12 (Diva Rivas-Reyes 2016, Dolores Kopren 2018, Jana Potic 2018, Andrea Serra-Rosa 2019/2021/2022, Naomi Eckert-Rivera 2021/2022, Paola Soto-Burgos 2022/2023, Aleksandra Ivanovic 2023, Amber Williams 2023)
AVCA East Region Coach of the Year: 2 (2018/2021)
AVCA East Region Player of the Year: 1/3 (Andrea Serra-Rosa 2019/2021/2022)
AVCA East Region Rookie of the Year: 1 (Naomi Eckert-Rivera 2019)
AVCA All-Region Selections: 22

NE10 Coach of the Year: 2 (2018/2022)
NE10 Tournament MVP: 2 (Andrea Serra-Rosa 2021, Paola Soto-Burgos 2022)
NE10 Player of the Year: 3/5 (Diva Rivas-Reyes 2016, Jana Potic 2018, Andrea Serra-Rosa 2019/2021/2022)
NE10 Setter of the Year: 2/3 (Dolores Kopren 2018, Naomi Eckert-Rivera 2021/2022)
NE10 Defensive Player of the Year: 2 (Mercy Rivera 2016/2017)
NE10 Rookie of the Year: 1 (Jana Potic 2016)

NE10 All-Tournament Selections: 6
NE10 First-Team All-Conference selections: 17
NE10 Second-Team All-Conference selections: 9
NE10 Third-Team All-Conference selections: 8
NE10 All-Rookie selections: 11
Academic All-Conference selections: 12

PRIOR STOPS:
Magnum Volleyball Club: Head Coach/Clinician (2011-12)
Sarah Lawrence College: Head Women’s Volleyball Coach (2008-10)
USA Volleyball High Performance (N.Y.): Coach (2009-10)
Alpha Gamma Volleyball (N.Y.): Coach (2009-10)
 

The 2021 campaign was one of the best in AIC history. The Yellow Jackets were dominant from start to finish in the conference season, winning 17 straight regular season matchups and clinching the program's first regular season title in more than two decades. They then ran the table in the tournament, defeating New Haven in a thrilling 3-2 battle at Butova Gym to take the program's first NE10 Tournament title. As the top seed in the East Region, the team hosted the NCAA Regional for the first time. They swept Southern Connecticut and Holy Family before falling to Daemen in the Final, snapping a program-record 22-game winning streak. Andrea Serra-Rosa repeated as East Region and NE10 Player of the Year and earned All-American status alongside Naomi Eckert-Rivera. Cribbin garnered his second AVCA East Region Coach of the Year accolade as well.

After a slow start in 2019, the Yellow Jackets needed some time to click. Once they figured it out the team was hard to stop. During a 10 game stretch, AIC went 9-1 with the lone loss coming against the eventual NCAA East Region Finalist University of Bridgeport. Knowing they needed to win the NE10 Championship to make the NCAA Tournament, the Yellow Jackets knocked off Franklin Pierce in the first round 3-1. In the second round, AIC avenged an early season loss to Stonehill college in four sets before falling to Bentley in five sets in the championship match. Serra was named an AVCA All-American, AVCA East Region Player of the Year and First Team East-Region, D2CCA First Team East-Region, NE10 Player of the Year and First Team honors. Eckert earned NE10 First Team honors while Potic and Lowery were named to the NE10 Second and Third teams respectively. 

In 2018, the Yellow Jackets improved their 2017 record by four wins on their way to another exciting postseason run. As the three-seed in the NE10 Championship, the Yellow Jackets topped the six-seeded Pace then followed that up with by knocking off the two-seed and host Adelphi in Garden City for the second time that season and the second time ever on the Panther's home court but fell in the title game. AIC earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season. In the opening round, the team knocked off Daemen College in straight sets which set up a third battle with Adelphi. Once again the Panthers were the two seed and the Yellow Jackets took the match in four sets. In the East Region Championship match, the Yellow Jackets swept Holy Family to claim their second region title in three seasons. In the NCAA quarterfinals, AIC took on the top-seeded University of Tampa who ended the team's season. Potic earned AVCA All-American and First Team East Region honors, NE10 Player of the Year, and was named to the NE10 First Team All-Conference. Kopren also received AVCA All-American and First Team East Region honors, NE10 Setter of the Year and NE10 First Team honors. Serra earned AVCA East Region Honorable Mention and NE10 Second Team All-Conference. Cribbin rounded out the awards being named AVCA East Region and NE10 Coach of the Year. 

In 2017, under the guidance of Cribbin, the Yellow Jackets qualified for their second straight trip to the NCAA East Region Finals. Cribbin earned his 100^th win with AIC in a 3-2 victory over third-seeded LIU Post in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, making him just the second volleyball coach in AIC history to surpass the 100-win mark. The Yellow Jackets then advanced to the final after a victory over No. 2 Molloy. The team finished the year with a 23-11 record, the second-most wins in a single season under Cribbin’s tenure. Four players received NE10 postseason honors, including two-time NE10 Libero of the Year Mercy Rivera, while three were named AVCA All-Region. Cribbin’s athletes have also shown tremendous success in the classroom, with three NE10 All-Academic selections.

Cribbin led the Yellow Jackets to many firsts in program history during the 2016 season. AIC finished second in the NE10 and hosted the semifinals and finals of the conference tournament. The Yellow Jackets won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game when they defeated Le Moyne in the first round, 3-0. They then faced the top-seeded NYIT and took down the Bears, 3-1. AIC took on the host Daemen College and rallied to take the 3-2 game and take home the NCAA East Region title. At the Elite Eight, the Yellow Jackets fell to the eventual national champion and No. 1 nationally ranked Concordia-St. Paul.

As head coach at NCAA Division III Sarah Lawrence College, he was named the Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) Coach of the Year in each of his three seasons (2008-10). He was also named a 30 Under 30 Award recipient by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), which honors 30 of the up-and-coming volleyball coaches under 30 years old in the sport at all levels of the game.

Cribbin guided Sarah Lawrence to the 2010 conference championship and led the team to a runner-up finish in 2008. Sarah Lawrence was the regular season runner-up in 2009. A total of seven Gryphons were named to the HVWAC all-conference team. He also served as the head men’s volleyball coach at Sarah Lawrence last season, and additionally served as the Gryphons equipment manager, facilities manager, and sports information director for three years.

A native of Madison, Connecticut, Cribbin earned his bachelor’s in sports management from the University of New England in May 2008. He served as a student assistant with the Nor’Easters’ women’s volleyball team for three seasons while also serving as head coach/captain of the men’s club volleyball team.   

 

*No countable games (COVID-19 Pandemic); record listed is results of non-countable games and does not count toward career record