Connor Martin enters his third season as associate head coach of the Smith College volleyball program, a role he also pairs with duties as the department's athletic communications assistant.
Martin has been a central figure in the Bears' rise since rejoining the program in 2024. That fall, Smith captured its first NEWMAC Championship since 2005, defeating AVCA No. 4 MIT in the title match and finishing 31-7. The Bears advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly two decades and reached the second round, notching the program's first NCAA Tournament victory along the way. Three players — Taylor Gwynne, Abby Sweeney and Abby Hunt — earned AVCA All-American honorable mention, a first in program history.
Martin also serves as team manager for the U.S. Men's Sitting National Team, working alongside head coach Greg Walker, who leads the Smith program as well. The staff earned silver at the 2025 PanAmerican Zonal Championships before a decorated 2026 campaign that included silver at the USAV Sitting Cup in Orlando and gold at the Dutch Tournament in Assen, Netherlands, where the U.S. went 5-1. At the World ParaVolley World Championship in Hangzhou, China, the U.S. clinched a berth in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles with a round-of-16 sweep of Canada and finished fifth, the program's best result in the event's history.
Martin came to Smith from the College of the Holy Cross, where he served as an assistant coach with the Division I Patriot League program, overseeing recruiting, player development and tactical preparation. He previously spent two seasons at Smith as a graduate assistant from 2021-23, a stretch during which the Bears built the foundation for their recent success.
A former collegiate athlete, Martin began his coaching career at Mary Washington as a student assistant coach and team manager. He earned his bachelor's degree from Mary Washington in 2021 and a Master of Science in exercise and sport studies from Smith in 2023.
THE MARTIN FILE
Hometown: Douglas, Mass.
Education
- Smith College — M.S., Exercise and Sport Studies (2023)
- University of Mary Washington — B.A. (2021)
Coaching Career
- 2024-present — Smith College (Associate Head Coach)
- 2023-24 — College of the Holy Cross (Assistant Coach)
- 2021-23 — Smith College (Graduate Assistant Coach)
- University of Mary Washington (Student Assistant Coach/Team Manager)
Awards
By the Numbers
- 2026 World ParaVolley World Championship — fifth place, best U.S. finish in event history
- 2026 Dutch Tournament gold
- 2026 USAV Sitting Cup silver
- 2025 PanAmerican Zonal Championships silver
- 2024 NEWMAC Champions — first since 2005
- 2024 NCAA Tournament appearance — first in nearly two decades
- 2024 first NCAA Tournament win in program history
- 2024 30-win season
- 3 AVCA All-American selections
- 2 NEWMAC Tournament Co-MVPs (2024)
- 6 AVCA All-Region selections
- 4 NEWMAC All-Conference selections
- 4 AVCA Team Academic Awards
- 25 NEWMAC Academic All-Conference selections
