Women's Volleyball | 8/13/2025 12:56:00 PM
RALEIGH, N.C. – Shaw University head volleyball coach Jaylin Hunt has announced the return of Emma Celentano to the Lady Bears' sideline as the program's new assistant coach. Celentano, who has ties to the program, comes back to Raleigh after an impressive five-year stint as head coach at the University of Mount Olive, where she orchestrated one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NCAA Division II volleyball.
Celentano inherits deep ties to Shaw, bringing back her leadership, energy, and tactical expertise to a program she helped shape in the early years of the Jonathan Paulk era. Since leaving the Lady Bears, her career has been defined by consistent success, championship-level culture building, and the development of high-achieving student-athletes.
During her tenure at UMO, Celentano transformed a team that had endured eight consecutive losing seasons into a perennial contender. Her leadership produced three straight 20+ win seasons, which was a program first in nearly two decades. She guided the Trojans to a 23-9 record in 2022, the program's first 20-win campaign in 17 years and followed it with back-to-back nationally competitive seasons.
In 2024, Celentano earned the prestigious AVCA 30 Under 30 award while producing Mount Olive's first AVCA All-American since 2007 in outside hitter Ashlyn Stone. The season before, she was named Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year after leading the Trojans to a 14-3 league record, a No. 6 regional ranking, and mentoring libero Morgan Prots to the program's first Defensive Player of the Year award. Her players also earned multiple All-Conference honors, highlighting her ability to develop talent across all positions.
Celentano's first full season at Mount Olive in 2021 saw immediate improvement, building on momentum from a shortened COVID spring season that had already produced the program's best conference mark in years. Before her time with the Trojans, she spent four years at NCAA Division I North Carolina Central University, serving as associate head coach and assistant coach.
In addition to her collegiate coaching, Celentano co-founded Carolina Advantage Volleyball in 2022, where she serves as Director of Training. She holds a bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sport Science with a minor in Sport Administration from the University of North Carolina and a master's in Physical Education from North Carolina Central University.
"We're thrilled to welcome Emma back to Shaw," said Coach Hunt. "Her track record speaks for itself. She builds winning cultures, develops student-athletes on and off the court, and understands the values and traditions of Shaw University volleyball. Having her back is a huge win for our program."
