Shawn Taylor - Head Coach - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Shawn Taylor

Title:
Head Coach
Email:

At Southern Miss: Three Seasons | 27-54
Overall: Six Seasons | 79-89

2022 Season | 11-26
Southern Miss entered the 2022 season looking to set multiple records with a lineup of veteran players and outstanding underclassmen.

The 2022 season would be the program’s first as a member of Conference USA Beach Volleyball, joining Coastal Carolina, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Georgia State, UAB and ULM. Additionally, Southern Miss would participate in the first C-USA match against Florida Atlantic early in the season.

Taylor’s second season began similarly to 2021, at Florida State’s Seminole Beach Bash, going 0-4 against No. 13 Florida Atlantic, No. 6 TCU, Division II National Champions Tampa and Small College Runners Up North Florida.

On Mar. 6, Southern Miss picked up its first win after slogging through tough competition. The Golden Eagles would win three of the next five before embarking on a program-defining Spring Break trip to California.

While on the West Coast, the Black & Gold would compete in seven matches—six of which were against AVCA top-20 teams. While Southern Miss finished winless in the excursion, the matches served as an excellent proving ground for the Golden Eagles’ underclassmen.

Southern Miss would then go 7-2 over the next two weeks on home sands, the best home mark in the program’s history.

The Golden Eagles finished 1-6 to end the regular season, falling narrowly to No. 11 Long Beach State, Stephen F. Austin and Tulane. Taylor would pick up his first win against a program receiving votes over Cal State Bakersfield.

Taylor would enter the 2022 C-USA Tournament as the sixth-overall seed, matched with eventual C-USA Champion and NCAA Tournament participants Georgia State. The Golden Eagles fell 1-4 to the Panthers and moved to the Elimination Bracket against ULM.

In a rematch of an Apr. 8 match, ULM bested the Golden Eagles 3-2 to eliminate Southern Miss from the tournament.

Southern Miss would bid farewell to three pillars of the program in Breleigh Favre, Olivia Hepworth and Melanie Miller. Favre and Hepworth were four-time letter winners and were members of the original 2019 squad.

Both graduate students, Favre and Hepworth leave Hattiesburg as No. 1 and 2 in career appearances with 112 and 113, respectively. Favre is now fourth all-time in career victories (36) and Hepworth claimed the top spot with 45.

Favre and Hepworth were joined by Hallie Phelan in being named inaugural members of C-USA’s Beach Volleyball All-Academic Team.

Hepworth would go one step further by being awarded the C-USA Spring Spirit of Service Award for significant community service endeavors, good academic standing and participation in her sport.

2021 Season | 11-26
Coach Taylor’s first full season in the Hub City began on Feb. 27 at the Seminole Beach Bash (Tallahassee, Fla.). Southern Miss would finish winless but faced four of the nation’s best teams in No. 3 Florida State, No. 6 Cal Poly, No. 8 Loyola Marymount and No. 18 Georgia State.

The 2021 team’s first win would come in a 3-2 decision over Central Arkansas. Southern Miss would falter through the middle of the season, at one point dropping seven matches in a row.

Taylor would rally his team for the 2021 Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Tournament in Huntsville, Ala. The scrappy Golden Eagles would manage two wins over CCSA foes in the tournament before being eliminated by the 14th-ranked Owls of Florida Atlantic.

Golden Eagle seniors Kylie Grandy and Abbey Wilson would leave the program after an award-winning season on the sand. The pair finished 21-16 in 2021, pushing their career win total to 39 overall.

Grandy and Wilson’s 2021 performance earned them CCSA All-Tournament Team Honors as well as an AVCA Top Flight Award. The duo’s 39 career victories are the most by any single pair in program history.

2020 Season | 5-2
Taylor’s first season in Hattiesburg came to an abrupt end due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the seven-game season, Taylor’s Golden Eagles christened the Southern Miss Beach Volleyball Complex after its renovation and upgrade.

The 2020 season opened with a three game homestand against New Orleans and ULM. UNO was able to best the Black & Gold twice, each by a score of 3-2. Southern Miss would rally for its first victory of the Taylor era against ULM on Feb. 24.

In the last bout of action, Southern Miss would finish with a five-game win streak, topped off with four wins at the UNO Beach Volleyball Invitational.

The Golden Eagles defeated Spring Hill (3-2), Southeastern (5-0), Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-2) and ULM (3-2), marking the longest program win streak at the time, surpassing the previous record of three games.

On Mar. 12, Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain announced the suspension of all spring sports, beach volleyball included.

About Coach Taylor
Taylor was announced as the Head Coach of the Southern Miss beach volleyball squad on December 12, 2019 by Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain.

Taylor became the first beach-only coach in program history. Taylor comes to Southern Miss after three seasons of leading the Sandy Badgers of Spring Hill College, where he posted a 52-35 record. His 2019 squad finished third at the American Volleyball Coaches Association Small College Beach Championships.

"I would like to thank Athletic Director Jeremy McClain for the opportunity to guide the Golden Eagle beach volleyball program at Southern Miss," Taylor said. "It's an opportune time to be involved with the sport at an institution that is making a commitment to compete at the highest level. We will be working hard this spring and in the future to build upon the foundation of this young program."

"I am incredibly thankful for my time on the Hill and for Dr. Peggy Martin who gave me a shot. Together we were able to develop two programs that are well respected throughout the region and within their respective divisions."

Shawn Taylor was named head coach of the Sandy Badgers beach volleyball team in March 2017. He came to SHC as assistant court volleyball coach in 2015 after three seasons with the University of South Alabama (USA) Jaguars under head coach Amy Hendrichovsky where he helped develop three all-conference student-athletes including the 2013 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Freshman of the Year Mechell Daniel. In his first season as the Beach Volleyball head coach, he led the Badgers to their first winning season in the three-year history of the program with a 17-16 record in 2017.

Before his tenure at South Alabama, Taylor spent two seasons as the top assistant at Arkansas State University (ASU) under head coach Justin Ingram. In his two seasons in Jonesboro, the Red Wolves posted an overall record of 38-22 and a 23-9 mark in the league. The Red Wolves finished 2010 as co-champions of the SBC West Division with an 11-5 conference record and won an outright division title in 2011 with 21 overall wins and a 12-4 conference mark. While at ASU, Taylor coached four all-conference players in Cayla Fielder (2011 and 2010), Allison Kearney (2011), Ashley Tipps (2011) and Megan Baska (2010), who also won recognition as the 2010 SBC Defensive Player of the Year.

Taylor arrived at ASU from Independence (Kan.) Community College (ICC) where he served as the head coach for the 2009 season. Prior to working at ICC, he was an assistant at Valparaiso University in 2008 where he helped produce four all-conference, three all-region, two all-American selections as well as a defensive and offensive player of the year. That same season, the Crusaders led the nation in both kills per game (15.32) and assists per game (14.26).

The Topeka, Kan., native was a volunteer assistant coach at Kansas State University (KSU) during the 2004-2006 seasons where he worked with middle blockers and the back row defense. He began his coaching career at Graceland University in 2002 where he served as both the head women’s junior varsity and a men’s assistant coach until joining the KSU staff in 2004.

Taylor earned his master’s degree in college student personnel from KSU in 2006 and his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Graceland in 2004 where he played for the Yellow Jackets from 1999-2002.

Taylor's Career
Season | Role

Graceland (NAIA) – Lamoni, Iowa
1999 | Volleyball Student Athlete
2000 | Volleyball Student Athlete
2001 | Volleyball Student Athlete
2002 | Indoor Women’s JV/Indoor Men’s Assistant
2003 | Indoor Women’s JV/Indoor Men’s Assistant

Kansas State – Manhattan, Kan.
2004 | Volunteer Assistant: 20-11 – Finished season No. 23
2005 | Volunteer Assistant: 21-11 – Finished season No. 24
2006 | Volunteer Assistant: 12-18

Kansas Wesleyan (NAIA) – Salina, Kan.
2007 | Head Coach: 27-8 – Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions – KCAC Coach of the Year – Five players All-Conference, Three All-Region, One All-American (First in school history)

Valparaiso – Valparaiso, Ind.
2008 | Assistant Coach: 25-7

Independence (JUCO) – Independence, Kan.
2009 | Head Coach: N/A

Arkansas State – Jonesboro, Ark.
2010 | Assistant Coach: 17-12 – Sun Belt West Co-Champions
2011 | Assistant Coach: 21-10 – Sun Belt West Champions

South Alabama – Mobile, Ala.
2012 | Assistant Coach: 13-17
2013 | Assistant Coach: 14-15
2014 | Assistant Coach: 12-19

Spring Hill (DII) – Mobile, Ala.
2015 | Indoor Assistant: 23-7
2016 | Indoor Assistant: 27-5
2017 | Beach Head Coach: 17-16
2018 | Beach Head Coach: 15-8 – Third at AVCA Small College Championships
2019 | Beach Head Coach: 20-11 – Third at AVCA Small College Championships
Spring Hill & Overall Record: Three Seasons | 52-35

Southern Miss
2020 | Head Coach: 5-2
2021 | Head Coach: 11-26
2022 | Head Coach: 11-26
Southern Miss Record: Three Seasons | 27-54
Overall Record: Six Seasons | 79-89