A college coach with over 29 years of experience, Eddie Matthews has been the Head Volleyball Coach at Methodist for 21 years, having taken over the team prior to the 2001 season.   In his inaugural season, he led the Methodist to the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship marking only the fourth time in school history that Methodist had reached the DIAC tournament championship match. That was followed by the 2002 season when the Lady Monarchs finished with 16-18 mark, giving them their most victories in a season since 1993. That team also advanced to the semifinals of the DIAC Tournament.    In 2006, the Monarchs finished 15-17 overall and 6-8 in the USA South Conference. During the 2007 season, the team improved to .500 with a 16-16 overall record. The team went 17-15 in 2008, tying for the most wins in Methodist history in more than 15 years. Matthews and the Monarchs continued trending upwards in 2009, finishing with a 19-11 overall record.   The 2010 season featured a 10-game winning streak as the Monarchs won 20 matches, the most since 1992. The 2011 team finished 21-8 and went 13-5 in the league to finish third in the USA South. In 2012, the Monarchs finished above .500 with a 16-12 record and over the next two seasons, as Matthews has begun a rebuilding process, the Monarchs have gone 14-18, and 15-18, respectively. His 2014 squad featured just one upperclassman and featured eight freshmen in the regular rotation. In 2015, the Monarchs finished the season with a 20-10 mark, which was the first 20-win season since 2011. The squad forged a 13-7 record in conference play to claim third in the North Division on its way to the conference tournament. The 2017 squad finished with an 18-13 record, which was a 10-win improvement from a season prior. With an 8-8 mark in conference play, the Monarchs finished fifth in the East and advanced to the USA South Tournament. Matthews coached outside hitter Cassidy Hayes to her fourth all-conference performance, including her second selection to the League's first team. She also finished her career second in kills and total blocks. Overall, Matthews has posted a 301-320 record at the helm of the Monarchs. He came to Methodist from NCAA Division I Georgia Southern, where he has served as the head coach for five seasons. In addition to his tenure at the helm of the Georgia Southern program, Matthews has also served as the head coach at NCAA Division III Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., for three years, and served a five-year tenure as the assistant coach at his alma mater - North Carolina.   While at Georgia Southern, Matthews orchestrated the schools biggest single-season turn-around going 17-19 in his second season after a 6-26 campaign in 1996. During his time at North Carolina, Matthews helped guide the Lady Heels to back-to-back ACC Championships in 1989 and 1990.   Additionally, Matthews has served as the assistant volleyball tournament director for the United States Olympic Festival on four different occasions and served as the assistant Chief of Staff to the USA Volleyball team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.  He has served as the chair of the South Region for the NCAA Division III Volleyball Committee and recently completed his term as the chair position for the national NCAA Division III Volleyball Committee.   Matthews, who holds USA Volleyball CAP Level II certification and is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, received his bachelors degree in Physical Education from North Carolina in 1993. Matthews has ties to the Cape Fear regions as he grew up in nearby Roseboro, N.C., where he currently resides with his wife, Shannon, and children - Christopher, Caroline and Daniel.