Photo by: Stephen Bayog / LSU Athletics
Cati Leak Named Head Coach of Coastal Beach Volleyball
8/25/2026 4:20:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
CONWAY – Cati Leak has been named the fifth head beach volleyball coach in Coastal Carolina University history, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and University Recreation Chance Miller announced Tuesday.
"We are thrilled to welcome Cati Leak to Coastal Carolina as the leader of our beach volleyball program," Miller said. "Cati comes from one of the nation's top programs and brings tremendous experience and a proven commitment to developing student-athletes. We are confident she will bring a championship mindset to Coastal and elevate our beach volleyball program to new heights."
Leak served as an assistant coach at LSU from 2019 to 2026 and was named to the AVCA 30 Under 30 list in 2023.
"We are thrilled to welcome Cati Leak to Coastal Carolina as the leader of our beach volleyball program," Miller said. "Cati comes from one of the nation's top programs and brings tremendous experience and a proven commitment to developing student-athletes. We are confident she will bring a championship mindset to Coastal and elevate our beach volleyball program to new heights."
Leak served as an assistant coach at LSU from 2019 to 2026 and was named to the AVCA 30 Under 30 list in 2023.
LSU reached the NCAA Championship tournament every year but one that Leak was an assistant coach and the Tigers won at least two matches in five of the six appearances in Gulf Shores in that time.
In 2022, Leak helped coach a program-best five pairs to earn AVCA Top Flight honors as LSU secured the most regular season wins (27) and total wins (32) in program history. She was a key coach on the staff during LSU's 2021 success in which LSU was never ranked lower than No. 4 in the AVCA Poll and saw Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth go 36-0 and claim AVCA National Pair of the Year. In 2020, LSU was ranked No. 1 in the country before the season was shortened due to Covid-19.
In her first season as an assistant coach in 2019 with the LSU Beach Volleyball Program, Leak helped lead the Tigers to a program-record 31 victories and a No. 3 finish at the NCAA Championship.
Leak returned to LSU after helping to lead both the volleyball and women's basketball teams as an assistant coach at the University Lab School in Baton Rouge to semi-final appearances at the state championships during the 2017-18 school year.
In the sand, Leak helped build the LSU program from the ground up, joining the team in its first year of existence in 2014. Over the course of four seasons, Leak improved her win total from eight in the first year to 26 in her final season. Her 73 victories stand as the seventh most in the young history of the program. In her final season in the sand, Leak helped lead the program to national prominence in 2017 as it earned its first birth to the NCAA Championship. Her and Callen Molle had 36 wins as a pair which is tied for the third most ever by an LSU duo.
A four-year starter in both indoor and beach volleyball for the Tigers, the Guntersville, Alabama native started on the court in 2012 and would help lead the Tigers to back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances in 2013 and 2014. She was named All-SEC following her junior season and finished her impressive indoor career with more than 1,000 digs and kills.
A member of the 2013 SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll, Leak earned both her Bachelor's (2016) and Master's (2018) degrees from Louisiana State University.
Leak takes over the Chanticleer program following back-to-back Sun Belt regular season titles in 2025 and 2026.
For complete coverage of women's beach volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBeachVB (X), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @CCUBeachVB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com
In 2022, Leak helped coach a program-best five pairs to earn AVCA Top Flight honors as LSU secured the most regular season wins (27) and total wins (32) in program history. She was a key coach on the staff during LSU's 2021 success in which LSU was never ranked lower than No. 4 in the AVCA Poll and saw Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth go 36-0 and claim AVCA National Pair of the Year. In 2020, LSU was ranked No. 1 in the country before the season was shortened due to Covid-19.
In her first season as an assistant coach in 2019 with the LSU Beach Volleyball Program, Leak helped lead the Tigers to a program-record 31 victories and a No. 3 finish at the NCAA Championship.
Leak returned to LSU after helping to lead both the volleyball and women's basketball teams as an assistant coach at the University Lab School in Baton Rouge to semi-final appearances at the state championships during the 2017-18 school year.
In the sand, Leak helped build the LSU program from the ground up, joining the team in its first year of existence in 2014. Over the course of four seasons, Leak improved her win total from eight in the first year to 26 in her final season. Her 73 victories stand as the seventh most in the young history of the program. In her final season in the sand, Leak helped lead the program to national prominence in 2017 as it earned its first birth to the NCAA Championship. Her and Callen Molle had 36 wins as a pair which is tied for the third most ever by an LSU duo.
A four-year starter in both indoor and beach volleyball for the Tigers, the Guntersville, Alabama native started on the court in 2012 and would help lead the Tigers to back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances in 2013 and 2014. She was named All-SEC following her junior season and finished her impressive indoor career with more than 1,000 digs and kills.
A member of the 2013 SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll, Leak earned both her Bachelor's (2016) and Master's (2018) degrees from Louisiana State University.
Leak takes over the Chanticleer program following back-to-back Sun Belt regular season titles in 2025 and 2026.
For complete coverage of women's beach volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBeachVB (X), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @CCUBeachVB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com
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