Shannon Thompson was named head coach of the Seton Hall University women’s volleyball program on March 7, 2022. In her first season in South Orange, she inherited a team projected to finish 11th in the BIG EAST but led the Pirates to 15 victories and a seventh-place conference finish. In year two, the program continued its upward trajectory, increasing its BIG EAST win total from six to eight and tying for sixth place after being picked ninth in the preseason poll. Thompson’s leadership has emphasized competitive growth, player development, and academic success as she continues rebuilding the Pirates into a conference contender.
Prior to Seton Hall, Thompson served as head coach at Canisius, guiding the Golden Griffins to back-to-back top-four MAAC regular-season finishes and a championship match appearance during the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season. She also held assistant coaching roles at Campbell, William & Mary, and UMass Boston. A Moorpark, California native, Thompson enjoyed a distinguished playing career at UMass Boston, becoming the program’s all-time leader in kills, digs, and solo blocks while earning four First Team All-Little East honors. She later played professionally in Austria for VC Tirol, serving as team captain. Thompson was inducted into the UMass Boston Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022 and holds both a bachelor’s degree in exercise and health science and an MBA in marketing from UMass Boston.
