UE Head Volleyball Coach Fernando Morales Announces Resignation
Morales led the Aces for six seasons
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville head Volleyball Coach Fernando Morales has resigned from his post with the Purple Aces to pursue other career opportunities.
Morales completed his sixth season with the program and led UE to unprecedented success. He accumulated 76 victories while leading the program to three appearances in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. Prior to his arrival, the Aces did not appear in the conference tournament since 2008.
“Coach Morales has made such a positive impact on our volleyball program and athletics department as a whole since his arrival,” UE Director of Athletics Dr. Ziggy Siegfried said. “His tireless work ethic and passion for the game took our program to new heights while his work in the community increased the relevancy of volleyball in Evansville and the surrounding region.”
His top season came in 2021 when UE won 21 games, its highest tally since joining the MVC in 1994. That team advanced to the postseason, earning a berth in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship where it won two matches. In 2022, Morales directed UE to 11 conference wins, its highest total as a member of the MVC. Evansville tied for 4th in the league and hosted its first MVC Championship at Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
“I am very grateful for everything the University of Evansville and athletics department has done for me. I grew as a coach here and want to thank the administration for allowing me to coach the Puerto Rico and South Korea national teams,” Morales stated. “Opportunities to coach at the professional level have come up and doing so has been a longtime goal for me.”
“To the players I have had the opportunity to coach – I thank you for your time and commitment to our program. Each of you made this program better while making me a better coach.”
Student-athletes under Morales also enjoyed success and recognition that gained national recognition. Giulia Cardona was a 2-time AVCA/Gamechanger Division I National Player of the Week while garnering AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and AVCA North All-Region accolades in 2023. Cardona was the first player in UE volleyball history to earn MVC Player of the Year honors and completed her career as just the second MVC player to record 2,000 kills in her career.
Under his direction, nine UE student-athletes earned All-MVC first or second team honors along with 26 weekly league awards.
A national search for Morales’ replacement will begin immediately.
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