ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Winthrop University volleyball Head Coach Heather Gearhart has announced the hiring of Courtney Ferry as an assistant volleyball coach.
Ferry was most recently the York Comprehensive High School Varsity Head Volleyball Coach, starting there in 2022, and was honored with 2025 Girls Volleyball Region 3-4A Coach of the Year in York County. The 2025 season culminated in the Region 3-4A Championship for Ferry's program and also saw one of her players earn Region Player of the Year honors, four All-Region honorees, and two All-State honorees. Ferry oversaw the varsity and junior varsity programs during her tenure there. She has also been coaching at Carolina Juniors Volleyball Club since 2021, coaching a variety of age groups.
"I am really looking forward to bringing Courtney back to Rock Hill," said Gearhart. "It means a lot to have someone who has been here before for the success of this program, earned a degree here, and has impacted our region's volleyball growth in a meaningful way. Courtney has won at every level she's been at, whether it was playing or coaching. Her psychology background is also foundational to the type of program we strive to be and will help better serve our student-athletes off the court."
Ferry returns to Rock Hill after serving as a graduate assistant for the program in the 2019-20 seasons, helping lead the Eagles to one of best seasons in program history during the 2019 season. The 2019 run included a Big South Regular Season and tournament championship, culminating in the NCAA Tournament in Spokane, Washington.
Prior to her coaching career, Courtney Ferry (née Furlong) wrapped up her playing career as a four-year contributor at South Carolina in the SEC, earning multiple SEC Academic Honor Roll selections and a spot on the 2017 SEC Community Service Team. She helped the Gamecocks make their first NCAA Tournament in 16 years as well as a second-round appearance. Her senior season featured the best stretch of her career, posting double-digit kills in five of the final six matches and leading the team in hitting percentage during the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by a .444 effort with 16 kills against Colorado. Before her collegiate career, Ferry was named the Gatorade High School Player of the Year for the state of Florida as well as Florida's Ms. Dairy Farmer Player of the Year. She was recently inducted into the Oviedo High School Hall of Fame.
Ferry graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Experimental Psychology, going on to earn her Master of Science in School Psychology and S.S.P in School Psychology from Winthrop University while serving as a graduate assistant for the volleyball team.
