Carly Thomas enters her second season as an assistant coach at Southeast after spending a year at her alma mater, Missouri State. Thomas coaches the setters and is responsible for travel, film exchange, home match management and academic development among other duties.
Thomas was a standout player at Missouri State from 2010-13, starting in 107 of her 124 career matches at setter. She earned First-Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors each of her final three seasons. An AVCA honorable mention All-American in 2013, Thomas ranked second in MSU history with 4,708 career assists and 12th with 1,201 digs, while adding 498 kills on a .257 hitting percentage. She notched 177 blocks and four triple-doubles during her career as well.
Thomas most recently assisted the Missouri State Beach Volleyball program during its inaugural campaign. Prior to that, she spent three years as an assistant coach at Ozark High School, earning Large Class Assistant Coach of the Year honors from the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association in 2016. Thomas also spent the last four years coaching club volleyball for Springfield Juniors, leading her team to a berth in the USA Junior National Championships.
In high school, Thomas was a four-time All-State performer for Althoff Catholic, in Belleville, Illinois. She was named the South Seven Conference Most Valuable Player as a senior, and was featured in a 2009 cover story in ESPN Rise Magazine for her efforts throughout high school. Thomas competed for the USA Youth National Team in 2009, where she was named Best Setter at the NORCECA Youth Continental Championships in Puerto Rico, leading Team USA to a Gold Medal.
