WICHITA, Kan. – Friends University VP of Athletics & Strategic Expansion Dr. Rob Ramseyer has announced that Kortney Cunningham will take over as the new head coach of the Falcon volleyball program.
"I am ecstatic to welcome Kortney to Friends," said Ramseyer. "I saw first-hand what a high-level competitor she was as a college athlete. She's learned under outstanding coaches and has proven herself as a successful head coach over the past several years. We believe she can do a great job leading our volleyball program and that she fits well with what we're building as a department and as a university."
Cunningham comes to Friends after a four-year tenure as the head coach at Lyon College, an NCAA D-III program located in Batesville, Ark.
At Lyon, Cunningham guided the Scots to consecutive United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national runner-up finishes, including a 20-9 record in 2024 for the team's first 20-win season since 2019.
Before becoming head coach at Lyon, Cunningham served as an assistant coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University for three seasons. In 2019, Cunningham assisted in NWOSU posting a second-place finish in the Great American Conference (GAC).
"I'm excited and honored to be named the head volleyball coach at Friends University," said Cunningham. "Having played in the KCAC, it's especially meaningful to return to the conference in a new role. I look forward to fostering a competitive and positive culture while developing our student athletes as players and people and build a program that values relationships, accountability, and sustained success."
Cunningham's collegiate playing career included two years at Hesston College and then two years at KCAC member Kansas Wesleyan University.
She earned second-team all-region honors at Hesston and then was a first-team All-KCAC performer at KWU. Cunningham helped the Coyotes capture a conference championship in 2017 and finish as the NAIA's team leader in blocks per game. She also contributed to KWU receiving the KCAC Team Champion of Character award for the 2018 season.
Cunningham received her Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Science from Kansas Wesleyan in 2019 before earning a Master of Education: Management and Administration from Northwestern Oklahoma State in 2021.
