Don Metil is entering his 13th season at the helm of the Tigers in 2025.
Over the course of the last 11 seasons, Head Coach Don Metil has turned the Tiger volleyball program from contender to dynasty as the Tigers have won the last four Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships, raising the program number to five. Metil is now the winningest coach in program history with 244 wins surpassing Cathy Cain.
In his 11th season with the Tigers, Metil went 24-6 this season, picking up his ninth 20-win season at Towson. The Tigers picked up their first win against a Southeastern Conference (SEC) team, sweeping the Gamecocks in the season opener. Metil won his fourth consecutive CAA Regular Season title after going 16-2 in conference play. He was named CAA Coach of the Year for the fifth time while at Towson. Four Tigers earned All-CAA honors, with outside hitter Nina Cajic being named CAA Player of the Year, the first Tiger to win the award since 2018. Cajic and Victoria Barrett were named All-CAA First Team, while Irbe Lazda and Aayinde Smith earned All-CAA Second Team honors.
In 2022, Metil led the Tigers to their fourth consecutive CAA regular season title and NCAA Tournament berth, after sweeping Delaware in the championship match. The Tigers got off to their best start in program history winning the first 18 games in 2022, including a four-set victory over #7 Pittsburgh, the program’s first win over a ranked program. Towson defeated Big Ten foe Rutgers in front of a record-setting 1,012 fans at SECU Arena in a thrilling five-set victory.
Metil guided the Tigers to their third-straight CAA title and NCAA Tournament berth, topping second-seeded Elon in dramatic fashion with a reverse sweep in the title game. It was the Tigers' second title in a calendar year the Tigers won the 2020 CAA Championship in the unique spring season of 2021, playing just four matches during the regular season before sweeping through the CAA Tournament en route to the team's second straight league title and subsequent berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Under Metil's guidance, the Tigers held one of the longest regular season and conference match winning streaks in Division I; the Tigers did not drop a regular season match from Sept. 13, 2019, a run of 36 straight matches. During the 2020/2021 season, Metil lead the Tigers to a 6-1 overall mark, with the lone setback in the NCAA Tournament. Freshman Nina Cajic was selected at both First Team All-CAA and the CAA All-Rookie Team, while Lydia Wiers and Emily Jarome earned Second Team plaudits.
The 2019 CAA, ECAC and AVCA East Region Coach of the Year guided Towson to one of the best seasons in league history as the Tiger went a perfect 16-0 in CAA matches during the regular season before winning the 2019 CAA Championship. The 2019 Tigers are the only program to go 16-0 in CAA history, but the first team in the rally scoring era to run the table unblemished.
Under Metil, Marrisa Wonders was selected as both the 2019 CAA Player and Setter of the Year while freshman Lydia Wiers was selected as the 2019 CAA Rookie of the Year. Wonders went on to become the program's first-ever AVCA Honorable Mention All-America selection.
In 2018, Metil put together a challenging nonconference schedule to prepare the team for the rigors of the CAA slate. The Tigers went 7-9 against the nonconfernce before winning 10 of their 16 CAA matches. Highlights from 2018 include a sweep of ACC foe Miami during the Puerto Rico Clásico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, stealing a win on the road against eventual CAA regular season and tournament champion Hofstra, as well as a berth in the CAA Tournament Semifinals, pushing the Pride to five sets.
During the 2018 season, redshirt senior libero Anna Holehouse became the program’s all-time career digs leader, capping her Black & Gold career with 2,268, becoming the only player in program history to surpass the 2,000 dig mark.
In 2015, Metil and the Tigers posted their second straight season of 25 or more wins. Towson beat James Madison in the final match of the regular season to clinch a share of the CAA regular season title. He helped the Tigers lead the conference in hitting percentage, assists per set, kills per set and digs per set. The Tigers ranked among the top 10 nationally for assists per set, kills per set, team assists and team kills.
Under Metil’s guidance, Kuilan was named the CAA Rookie of the Year while Holehouse became the program’s first CAA Defensive Player of the Year. Metil took home CAA Coach of the Year accolades for the second straight season. Lewis was a first team All-CAA honoree while Haley Pa’akaula earned second team honors on his watch. Kuilan was also named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region Honorable Mention, just the fourth player in program history to do so. In his second season at Towson, Metil got the Tigers back to the CAA Tournament. Towson posted a 27-5 overall record and a 13-3 conference mark. He helped the Tigers engineer one of the largest single season turnarounds in program history (10 wins in 2013 and 27 in 2014). Metil saw six Tigers earn all-conference honors including seniors Saitaua Iosia and Victoria Williams who were first team selections. In addition Metil was named the CAA Coach of the Year.
In his first season at Towson, Metil guided Iosia to third team All-CAA honors. He also tutored Sekerak, a CAA All-Academic squad member. Sekerak recorded the 1,000th dig of her career and became just the third player in school history with over 500 digs in a single season.
Metil was named the 11th head coach in program history in March 2013 after spending six years as the highly successful coach at Maryland Eastern Shore.
At UMES, he compiled a 145-44 (.767) record during his tenure. Metil led the Hawks to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship in 2011 and 2012 and appeared in the NCAA Tournament each of those years.
He guided UMES to the best season in school history in 2012. In addition to posting a 28-6 record and an 11-1 MEAC mark, UMES won three in season tournaments and the MEAC Tournament.
A three-time MEAC Coach of the Year, he led UMES to six straight MEAC Northern Divisional titles and four undefeated conference seasons.
Metil’s squads won at least 20 matches in each of his six seasons at UMES and finished among the top five in the nation for service aces per set during each of those seasons. He had 18 players earn all-conference honors during his six years with the Hawks. That group included the MEAC Rookie of the Year four times and two MEAC Players of the Year.
Prior to his tenure at UMES, Metil served as the head coach at Coppin State for two years. He helped the Eagles qualify for the MEAC Tournament twice and coached the 2005 MEAC Rookie of the Year. Metil was also the head coach at Lees-McRae and Notre Dame of Maryland.
Before starting his collegiate coaching career, Metil led a high school team and junior Olympic club team coach in the Baltimore Metro Area while teaching at Dumbarton Middle School.
Metil earned a dual bachelor’s degree in secondary education and sports medicine from California University of Pennsylvania in 1996. He played collegiate volleyball for the Vulcans, serving primarily as a setter.
He earned a master’s degree from Loyola University (Maryland) in secondary education in 2002.
