From the Jump (A Vanderbilt Volleyball Documentary Series)
Shatter Your Ceilings: Anders Nelson’s Lifelong Volleyball Journey
A rising star, proven champion and beloved mentor, Anders (AHN-ders) Nelson was announced as the first head coach in Vanderbilt volleyball’s modern era on Dec. 23, 2022. Nelson seized the opportunity to build an SEC program from the ground up, leading the Commodores onto the court in 2025 for the reinstated program’s first match in 45 years.
“I coach to instill confidence in athletes and help them reach their full potential … to Shatter their Ceiling,” Nelson said.
Nelson signed Vanderbilt’s first recruiting class in 2023 and welcomed the reconstituted program’s first student-athletes to campus in 2024. In 2025, a young roster complemented by select experienced transfers came together through spring exhibitions matches and a summer international trip to Japan. And on Aug. 23, 2025, Vanderbilt officially returned to the court in a five-set thriller against nationally-ranked Kansas in Lincoln, Nebraska. Six days later, the Commodores staged one of the collegiate volleyball season’s unique matches, winning their nationally-televised home opener on an outdoor court on Wyatt Lawn.
The debut season was always certain to be full of historic firsts, but Nelson’s Commodores turned many of those facts and figures into unforgettable memories for supporters in the SEC’s newest volleyball hotbed.
Coming into their own as the first season progressed, the Commodores won four of their final seven matches and made a run to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals after wins against Mississippi State and Georgia.
Embodying Nelson’s “shatter your ceilings” philosophy for the program, senior middle Jackie Moore earned a spot on the All-SEC second team and was named SEC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America first team. She then became the program’s first draft pick when she was selected by the Atlanta Vibe in the third round of the 2026 MLV draft.
Moore also recorded 31 kills in a match at Mississippi State, which were the most by a middle in an NCAA Division I match since 2015.
Additionally, libero Elli Kinney recorded a 2.49 passing average with a 62.6 good pass percentage, which was tied for third among SEC liberos.
Off the court, Moore, Kinney and Isabella Bareford were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. And impressively for a team of young student-athletes navigating a first college season, 13 Commodores made the 2025 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll.
In addition to building chemistry and culture within the roster in the years leading up to Vanderbilt’s return to the court, Nelson emphasized outreach to embrace the Nashville and Middle Tennessee region’s growing volleyball community and teach Commodore Nation the nuances of the sport—including numerous lunch-and-learn sessions on campus.
The groundwork paid dividends, with the community fully embracing Vanderbilt’s newest team. In addition to the packed home opener on Wyatt Lawn, complete with raucous student section, Vanderbilt played in front of 11,200 fans in the Sprouts’ Farmers Market Broadway Block Party at Bridgestone Arena. The latter was the fourth-largest crowd in the country during the 2025 regular season, and the largest not involving Nebraska.
Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee brought Nelson to Nashville after he established himself as one of the nation’s preeminent young coaches over more than a decade at Kentucky, including seven seasons as associate head coach under Craig Skinner.
In April 2021, completing a 2020 season delayed by the COVID pandemic, Kentucky defeated former national champions Washington and Texas in the Final Four to win the SEC’s first volleyball national title.
In his seven seasons as associate head coach, Kentucky compiled a 117-11 record in official SEC matches and won at least a share of six consecutive conference titles.
Nelson’s recruiting efforts led to the Wildcats signing four classes ranked in the top 10 nationally, two in the top 5 and one top-ranked recruiting class. Among those he helped recruit and reach their potential was 2021 AVCA Player of the Year and 2020-21 Honda Award winner Madison Lilley. Nelson also mentored All-American Avery Skinner, who won a silver medal with the U.S. women’s volleyball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Nelson was raised on volleyball in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. His older sister Meredith Nelson Uram ranked among the top high school recruits in the nation and earned All-America honors as a middle at the University of Minnesota.
After beginning his own collegiate journey at Minnesota, where he was a member of the men’s club volleyball team, Nelson played three seasons of Division I volleyball as a middle for Ball State University. In his final season, he was named to a second-team All-American by the AVCA.
Academically, Nelson graduated summa cum laude after double majoring in accounting and finance. He was also a recipient of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship following his time at Ball State and earned his MBA from Kentucky in 2018.
Nelson resides with his husband, Mark, and their dog, Cali, in Nashville.
Coach Nelson’s Highlights
1 NCAA championship
1 AVCA Player of the Year
1 U.S. Olympian
20 AVCA All-Americans
4 Conference Players of the Year
1 All-South Region selection at Vanderbilt
1 All-SEC selection at Vanderbilt
1 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Vanderbilt
1 Top-ranked recruiting class
2 Top 5 recruiting classes
4 Top 10 recruiting classes
Coaching History
Vanderbilt – Head Coach (2022–present)
Kentucky – Associate Head Coach (2016-22)
Kentucky – Assistant Coach (2013-16)
Arkansas – Assistant Coach (2012)
Kentucky – Volunteer Assistant Coach (2011)
Munciana Volleyball Club – Assistant Coach (2010-11)
Muncie Burris Laboratory High School – Assistant Coach (2009-10)