Tulane Names Derek Schroeder as Volleyball Head Coach
Tulane University’s Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair David Harris announced the hiring of Derek “Dex” Schroeder as the 11th head coach of the Green Wave’s volleyball program on Wednesday.
Schroeder brings 17 years of head coaching experience, most recently serving three seasons as the head coach at Jacksonville State. He has amassed a 279-234 career record and secured five conference titles.
"We are thrilled to welcome Derek to our team,” said Harris. “His extensive head coaching experience and proven leadership on the court will be invaluable as we pursue our goals. We believe his track record of success will inspire our student-athletes and elevate our program to new heights."
During his tenure with Jacksonville State, Schroeder developed two All-Conference USA performers: First Team honoree Kayla Williams and All-Freshman team selection Charlee Solomon. He also helped the Gamecocks increase their win total in each of his three seasons.
“Derek’s impressive coaching background and dedication to player development make him the perfect fit for our program,” said Charvi Greer, Tulane’s Deputy Athletic Director for Student Services and Senior Woman Administrator. “We look forward to his leadership and the positive impact he will bring to Tulane’s success.”
Prior to Jacksonville State, Schroeder led Mercer University’s volleyball program for six seasons. As head coach of the Bears, he earned 81 wins from 2017 to 2022. Notably, in just his second season, he guided Mercer to 16 wins—more than any other Southern Conference season in program history—and secured the program’s first SoCon regular-season titles in 2020 and 2021.
In 2021, Schroeder was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year, and three Mercer players earned All-SoCon honors, including Libero of the Year Megan Smith.
Schroeder spent eight seasons (2008-16) at the helm of the Samford volleyball program. Prior to his arrival, the program has mustered just single-digit win totals in three of the four previous seasons. He promptly led the team to a 28-5 record, the SoCon North Division title and the finals of the SoCon Championship in his first season. During his time with the Bulldogs, he led the program to 169 wins with seven winning seasons and a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and 2014.
While leading the Bulldogs, Schroeder posted more than 20 wins four times. He also won the SoCon North Division a total of four times and coached three different SoCon Players of the Year, in addition to a Freshman of the Year honor and one SoCon Libero of the Year.
"I am incredibly honored to join Tulane University and lead its Green Wave volleyball program,” Schroeder said. “I look forward to working with our student-athletes, building a strong team culture, and competing at the highest level. Tulane’s vibrant community and commitment to excellence excite both my wife and I, and we can't wait to get started in Uptown."
Schroeder’s coaching career began at Furman in 2003, where he served as an assistant coach for four years. He then spent the 2007 season as an assistant at Saint Louis, leading the Billikens to a 23-7 record before accepting the head coaching position at Samford.
A native of Wheatley, Ontario, Canada, Schroeder is a 1998 graduate of the University of Windsor, earning his bachelor’s degree in human kinetics. He will be joined in Uptown by his wife Jenna and their Great Dane Luna.
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.