Hardy Wooldridge - Volleyball Coach - University of Washington Athletics

Arizona

Sep 12 (Fri)

7:00 PM

Hardy Wooldridge

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
hardyw7@uw.edu

Coach Wooldridge Q&A

Hardy Wooldridge heads into his third season in 2025 as an assistant coach for the Huskies, where he works closely with the Husky pin hitters.

Returning to UW in 2023 was a full circle moment for Wooldridge, as he began his collegiate coaching career at Washington as a volunteer coach in 2016-17. Wooldridge went on to serve as a full-time assistant coach and associate head coach for four seasons at Fresno State, before moving to the powerhouse Pepperdine men’s program for the 2023 spring season.

Leslie Gabriel then hired Wooldridge when she took over the head coaching job in 2023, bringing him back to the university where he completed his Bachelors degree in Geography in 2016. A native of Mission Viejo, Calif., Wooldridge is married to former Husky outside hitter Gabbi Parker, a 2013 graduate. The couple welcomed their first son, Theo, in 2023.

Spend a couple minutes today with Coach Wooldridge!

A lifelong learner, Hardy leaves no stone unturned to help the Dawgs reach their potential.#PointHuskies pic.twitter.com/tOiHJ19uM2
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) June 20, 2024

“I am very happy to welcome back Hardy Wooldridge,” said Washington Head Coach Leslie Gabriel. “Hardy is an extremely hard worker, an exceptional teacher, and someone who is passionate about the game of volleyball and learning. Hardy has helped and impacted the people around him everywhere he has been, the players he coached and the staff he worked beside. We are thrilled to add him to our staff and to bring both he and Gabbi back to Seattle.”

In two seasons at Washington, Wooldridge has helped the Huskies quickly rebuild and return to the NCAA tournament in 2024. Washington posted a winning record in 2023 in Wooldridge's first year on staff, going 16-15, then in 2024 the Dawgs returned to NCAAs, improving to 19-12 overall and picking up the program's first ranked wins since 2022, upsetting No. 10 Oregon, and No. 14 Minnesota. Washington's kills per set went from 11.97 in Wooldridge's first year working with the hitters, to 12.77 in year two.

In 2024, outsides Emoni Bush and Kierstyn Barton both were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, and Bush was named AVCA All-Region. In his first year on staff, Wooldridge helped senior transfer May Pertofsky earn AVCA All-Region honorable mention, averaging 3.09 kills per set on a .294 attack percentage, and Barton was voted to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, averaging 2.79 kills per set.

Wooldridge spent two seasons as a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the Huskies in 2016 and 2017. Those two seasons saw the Huskies win the 2016 Pac-12 title and finish tied for second in 2017, advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2016 and the second round in 2017.

Hardy Wooldridge 2023

When former Husky assistant coach Jonathan Winder was named Head Coach at Fresno State, Wooldridge headed with Winder to the Mountain West. There they helped rebuild the Bulldogs program. The squad produced 11 All-Mountain West Conference honorees in their four seasons, including a program-record four in 2018.

In 2018, the Bulldogs broke the school record for most conference wins in school history and gave the program its first-ever top-two finish in the league after producing a 13-5 Mountain West record and going 22-11 overall. The team went on to play in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, earning the program’s first postseason selection since 2002, and a first-round win over UC Santa Barbara gave the Bulldogs their first postseason victory since 1995. Fresno State also placed fourth in the MWC during the Covid-shortened 2020 season.

Wooldridge then headed to Malibu when Winder was named Head Coach of the Pepperdine men’s program. During their first season in 2023, the Waves finished the year ranked No. 10 nationally. Right side Jaylen Jasper was named an AVCA Second Team All-American, and setter Bryce Dvorak earned Honorable Mention All-America.

From 2008-11, Wooldridge was the head coach of the Tesoro High School freshman squad and the U15 boys’ team for Balboa Bay Volleyball Club.

Wooldridge played collegiately at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada. He then played overseas for Colombier Volley LNB in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.