Former Cumberland player and assistant coach Kathy Slaughter was named head coach of the Pheonix program in January 2015. Slaughter recieved the title of Director of Volleyball at Cumberland University in August of 2017 with the addition of Men's Volleyball.

Slaughter has posted a 66-64 in her four seasons as Head Coach at Cumberland. She has coached four Mid-South Conference First-Team selctions and five Mid-South Conference Second Team players in her time as Head Coach.

She began her coaching career as a student assistant at Cumberland while finishing her undergraduate work and spent four years as an assistant coach thereafter. The Phoenix compiled a 168-47 mark during those five seasons with three TCAC and one Mid-South Conference championship.

Slaughter began her head coaching career at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, taking the Patriots from 3-30 to 18-14 in her first season. She spent four years at OHS before beginning the volleyball program at Siegel High School, also in Murfreesboro.

She served as head coach at three high schools for 12 total seasons, reaching the TSSAA State Tournament five times, including a state runner-up finish in 2011 at Independence. The Eagles placed fourth at the state tourney in her other season at IHS as well. She posted a 69-30 mark in two seasons at Independence.

She spent six seasons at Siegel, reaching the state tournament three times, including a 48-15 mark in 2004 and a 52-11 record with a third-place finish at the state tourney in 2005. The Stars also reached the state tournament in 2007.

Slaughter was voted Region 7-AAA Coach of the Year three times at Siegel by the Daily News Journal and earned District 11-AAA Coach of the Year honors once while at Independence.

Slaughter returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach for one season in 2012 and spent one year as an assistant at Belmont University in 2013. She has coached club volleyball the last four years for Alliance in Franklin, Tenn.

Slaughter was inducted into the Cumberland Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. She was a member of the 1991 TCAC regular season championship team and earned First Team All-TCAC and TCAC All-Tournament honors as well as GTE NAIA National Scholar-Athlete accolades as a senior in 1992. She was also named a TCAC Scholar-Athlete her final three years at CU.

She received her bachelor’s in Education from Cumberland in 1994 and earned a master’s in Education as well from CU in 1996. She and her husband, Chris, a former Cumberland baseball player, have two children – Davey and Hank.

Slaughter's Coaching Career