- 2024 Skyline Women's Volleyball Coach of the Year
John Carroll joined the Sarah Lawrence staff for the 2023-24 academic year as the head coach for both the men's and women's volleyball teams. He brings four years of experience to the Gryphons after stints at Regis College, Bethany College, the Highlands Sports Complex and the Ohio Valley Volleyball Academy.
Prior to his coaching career, Carroll played collegiate volleyball at Emmanuel College where he was awarded academic all-conference honors in 2019 and all-sportsmanship team recognition in three of his four years. He graduated from Emmanuel in 2020 with a bachelors of science in international relations and earned a master of education in student success while at Regis in 2023.
Women's Volleyball
Fall 2023
Carroll took over a previously successful women's volleyball program and wasted no time leading the team to the Skyline tournament. The first-year coach set program bests with 14 overall wins and seven victories in conference play, securing the fifth seed in the tournament. A heartbreaking five-set match with the Rams of Farmingdale State ended the season for the Gryphons in the conference quarterfinals, but it marked the end of a very successful season for both the team and the individual student-athletes. Carroll helped push sophomore Athena Kazos to earn second-team all-conference recognition while also guiding seniors Mia Rector and Kaille Ferguson to eclipse the 1,000 assist and 1,000 dig marks, each becoming the program leaders in each category.
Fall 2024
Carroll built on the momentum of a successful 2023 campaign and guided the Gryphons to the best season in program history in 2024. Sarah Lawrence posted a program-record 17-10 overall mark while finishing 7-4 in Skyline Conference play, earning a spot in the conference tournament for the second consecutive season. The Gryphons advanced to the Skyline semifinals after defeating Farmingdale State in a thrilling five-set quarterfinal matchup before their postseason run came to an end one match shy of the championship. Carroll's impact was recognized throughout the conference, earning Skyline Coach of the Year honors, while sophomore Athena Kazos garnered All-Skyline recognition and rookie standout Nikolet Vataj was named both to an All-Skyline team and Skyline Rookie of the Year. The historic season further cemented the program's rise as one of the conference's top contenders.
Fall 2025
Carroll continued the program's growing success in 2025, leading the Gryphons to another standout campaign and a second consecutive appearance in the Skyline Conference semifinals. Carroll coached two of the conference's premier players in Athena Kazos and Nikolet Vataj, who both earned All-Skyline honors once again. Kazos cemented her place in program history by surpassing both the 1,000-kill and 1,000-dig milestones, becoming the first player in program history to reach both benchmarks while also breaking the program's all-time kills record. Under Carroll's leadership, the Gryphons continued their rise as a perennial conference contender, combining team success with historic individual achievements.
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
Postseason |
| 2023 |
14-11 |
7-4 |
Skyline Quarterfinals |
| 2024 |
17-10 |
7-4 |
Skyline Semifinals |
| 2025 |
14-14 |
7-4 |
Skyline Semifinals |
| Career (Overall) |
45-35 (.563) |
21-12 (.636) |
|
Men's Volleyball
Spring 2024
In Carroll's first season at the helm of the men's volleyball team, he brought the program their second-most overall and conference victories since becoming an NCAA program. Carroll increased the team's win total by six in his first season, bringing the team just one spot shy of making the Skyline tournament in his first year. He also helped standout outside hitter Nate Davis to take home all-conference first-team honors as well, with the junior ranking second in the nation in kills per set and points per set. He also helped Davis earn AVCA National Player of the Week, the program's first-ever recognition in the category.
Spring 2025
Carroll led the Gryphons a first-ever conference tournament berth in his second season, relying on the aforementioned Davis as well as first-year standouts Alex Xie and Lucas Buckley. The Gryphons faced off against second-seeded Ramapo in the first round, falling in three sets, but the team's 13 overall wins and eight conference victories both set progam records. Davis continued to set SLC records in his final year with the program, ranking top-ten in the country in both kills and points per set.
Spring 2026
In year three, Carroll once again had the Gryphons in contention for a postseason berth. The bench boss mentored first year Jack Cahill, who took home all-conference first-team honors as well as the Skyline's Rookie of the Year Award. Carroll and the Gryphons narrowly missed the conference tournament, but the team graduated just a lone senior as underclassmen developed into consistent contributors in the starting lineup.
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
Postseason |
| 2024 |
6-20 |
5-13 |
Skyline Quarterfinals |
| 2025 |
13-14 |
8-10 |
Skyline First Round |
| 2026 |
11-15 |
5-9 |
|
| Career (Overall) |
30-39 (.435) |
18-32 (.360) |
|
