Head Coach Karen McNulty

Karen McNulty enters her 14th year as head coach of the UMass Lowell volleyball program, guiding the River Hawks to a 251-178 overall record (.585) through the past 13 seasons.

Named the 2002 Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year, McNulty inherited the volleyball program in 1994 following a two-year head coaching stint at Northeastern. After posting a 29-39 record in her first two seasons with the River Hawks, she has guided UML to a 221-139 clip (.614), including seven 20-win seasons and the program's first five NCAA Tournament appearances (2000, 2002-05).

McNulty also led the River Hawks to second place in the NE-10 regular season in four of the last six years. The 2003 season was especially sweet for McNulty and the River Hawks, who had graduated 70 percent of its offense and defense with the 2002 squad (25-11), but posted a 20-10 record and and earned its third NCAA berth in four years.

At Northeastern, McNulty posted a 29-29 two-year clip which included a 16-10 showing in 1992. That year, the Huskies advanced to the North Atlantic Conference (now America East) Tournament.

A four-year player at Boston College (Class of '85), McNulty served as team captain as a senior and was the recipient of the BC Varsity Club Outstanding Senior Award. Upon graduation, McNulty served as head coach of the girls' team at her alma mater, Billerica High School, where she led the Indians to the Division I North Sectional finals and Merrimack Valley Conference title twice. In 1991, she was voted the Merrimack Valley Conference Coach of the Year.

McNulty continues to give back to her sport. She served the 2005 season as the national chair for the NCAA Division II Volleyball Committee, the governing body that makes administrative decisions for the NCAA Tournament. She was also the committee chair for the NCAA Northeast Region for four years, and had previously served on the AVCA national rankings committee.

McNulty has been a United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) player since 1986. A native of Billerica, MA, McNulty resides in Lowell, MA.

Assistant Coach John Cody

John Cody returns for his 11th season with the UMass Lowell volleyball program, his 34th year in coaching.

For 25 years, Cody has been the director of the Merrimack Valley Junior Olympic Volleyball Program, an instructional league which competes against other club teams in New England. He also served as the head coach at Stoneham H.S. in 1987-88 and at Holy Cross from 1989-96.

A chemistry teacher for 35 years at Arlington H.S., Cody has been the head boys' tennis coach all 35 years, leading the Spy Ponders to 23 Greater Boston League championships.

Cody resides in Chelmsford, MA, with his wife, Elizabeth. They have raised eight children, three of whom played volleyball at Division I universities.

Assistant Coach Tara Conners

A 1995 graduate of the University, Tara Conners enters her first year on the UMass Lowell volleyball staff and brings the program a wealth of coaching experience.

Conners began her coaching career as an assistant to current UML head coach Karen McNulty with the Billerica H.S. junior varsity boys. She also served as the head coach at Endicott College for five years and has coached in the Massachusetts Junior Olympic program as well as several area camps and clinics.

While at Endicott, Conners led the Gulls to their best record in school history (21-4) as well as a spot in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament in 1999.

A utility player for the River Hawks, Conners was a two-year captain and played a number of positions. She enjoyed her best year as a senior in which she posted averages of 0.90 kills, 0.90 digs and 0.32 blocks per game.

A graduate of Billerica H.S., Conners was a two-time Merrimack Valley Conference all-star and led the Indians to a pair of MVC titles and state tournament appearances her junior and senior years.

Conners was also a three-time MVC all-star basketball standout as well as a thrower on the track and field team.

Conners earned her degree in liberal arts with a concentration in both clinical science and legal studies, and went on to earn a law degree in 2003 from the Massachusetts School of Law.

An officer on the Billerica Police Force, she lives in Billerica, MA.