Filer named to Mount Mercy men's volleyball post

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Austin Filer has been named head men's volleyball coach at Mount Mercy, Athletic Director Paul Gavin announced today. Filer takes over for Mary Kay Van Oort, who resigned her post to accept another position at the university.

"Mary Kay did a tremendous job building the men's volleyball program from the ground up to a perennial Top-15 NAIA team," said Gavin. " Although it's sad to see her move on, I am excited to announce the hiring of Austin as our next head men's volleyball coach. He brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience that will keep this program competing at a high level."

Van Oort led the Mount Mercy men's volleyball program since its inaugural season in 2016-17. During those five years, the Mustangs were 73-61 overall, Heart of America regular season co-champions in 2018-19, and were consistently rated in the top 15 in the NAIA men's volleyball poll. They finished the 2020-21 season ranked 15th in the nation with a record of 16-10.

Filer was an assistant women's volleyball coach for the Mustangs from 2012-15. He was part of the coaching staff that led Mount Mercy to the first NAIA national tournament berth in 2015. Filer assisted with all aspects of coaching, from scouting and recruiting to practice creation and player development.

Most recently, Filer served as head volleyball coach at Xavier High School since 2016, leading the Saints to the 2020 Iowa Class 4A state championship. He was also named the Class 4A Coach of the Year last season. The two-time Metro Coach of the Year led Xavier to the Class 4A state tournament in each of his five seasons and pushed the Saints to the first national ranking in school history.

Filer has also been the club director at Adrenaline Volleyball Academy, where he qualified five teams for USA Volleyball National Championships, six teams for USA Volleyball Beach National Championships, and leads more than 200 indoor/beach athletes and 17 coaches.

"I'm excited to become the new head coach of men's volleyball at Mount Mercy," said Filer. "I've always felt that it would be a great place to be a head coach. I love the school's values, the spirit, the tradition, the beautiful campus and the enthusiasm of everyone that is a part of this great university. There is no doubt Mount Mercy is a special place."