LEXINGTON, Ky. - Indiana Wesleyan University Head Women's Volleyball Coach Candace Moats has been selected as a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Hall of Fame Class of 2026. The honor comes just months after Moats was named to the NAIA Hall of Fame Class of 2025-26, capping a landmark year of national recognition for the Wildcats coach.

Moats is one of only four coaches in the history of the AVCA Hall of Fame to have coached at the NAIA level, and one of just two of those four to have spent her entire coaching career at NAIA/NCCAA institutions. The induction will take place Thursday, Dec. 17, during an awards banquet at the 2026 AVCA Convention in San Antonio, Texas, and will bring the AVCA Hall of Fame's membership to 109.

Now in her 25th season at Indiana Wesleyan, Moats has helped build the Wildcats into one of the preeminent programs in NAIA women's volleyball. Her teams captured back-to-back-to-back NAIA National Championships in 2023, 2024 and 2025, a feat only three schools in NAIA history have accomplished. Under her leadership, Indiana Wesleyan has claimed 13 conference regular-season championships, 18 conference tournament championships, 20 appearances in the NAIA National Tournament, seven NCCAA regional championships and seven NCCAA national titles.

Moats' list of individual honors continues to grow. She is a two-time AVCA and NAIA Coach of the Year and a four-time NCCAA Coach of the Year. Last season she picked up her 1,050th career coaching victory, and earlier this season she notched her 750th win at Indiana Wesleyan, milestones that make her a leader for the most wins in NAIA history.

Before arriving at Indiana Wesleyan, Moats built a winning foundation at Crown College (1984-94) and Grace College (1995-2001), compiling more than 300 victories between the two programs.

Beyond the sidelines, Moats has left a lasting mark on the sport's leadership. She served as the NAIA's representative on the AVCA Board of Directors from 2020 to 2025, held both the president and vice president roles on the NAIA Volleyball Committee, and spent 10 years as the NAIA Region VIII Volleyball Chair.
 

To view the full release from the AVCA, click HERE.