Robyn Ah Mow steps down as Hawaii women’s volleyball coach

Hawaii women’s volleyball coach Robyn Ah Mow is stepping down she said in an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser today.

Ah Mow informed the team of her decision at an afternoon meeting.

The three-time Olympian and three-time Big West Coach of the Year cited her desire to be around her three children as one of the main reasons for making this decision now.

“This is my choice and my choice only. This is nobody else’s choice,” Ah Mow said. “For me, I can’t say my entire love of coaching or doing this went away, but this felt like it was becoming a chore instead of something I wake up loving to do.”

Ah Mow spent nine years and eight seasons in charge of the Rainbow Wahine volleyball program, compiling a 165-72 overall record with five consecutive Big West Conference championships from 2019 to 2024.

“Robyn Ah Mow is the epitome of what it means to be a Rainbow Wahine,” UH Athletics Director Matt Elliott said in a press release. “She is a fierce competitor, a dedicated mentor, and an undeniable legend in the state of Hawaii and the global volleyball community. We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and passion she poured into this program over the last nine years as the leader of Wahine Volleyball, and more than 30 years since she first stepped on campus. We will all miss her dearly as our head coach, and wish her the absolute best in her next chapter.”

After finishing no worse than second in any season in the conference since Ah Mow took over, Hawaii struggled last year.

UH had its first losing season in program history at 12-17 overall and ended a streak of 31 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Ah Mow had two years left on her current deal after she signed a contract extension through the 2027 season in January 2025 offered by then-acting athletics director Lois Manin.

Associate head coach Kaleo Baxter will take over as interim head coach.

A search for a permanent replacement will begin immediately.

Hawaii has had just three head coaches in the 52-year history of the program. Ah Mow took over in 2017 for Dave Shoji, who had been head coach since the second year of the program in 1975. Alan Kang coached the team in 1974, its first year.

Shoji coached Ah Mow during her playing career at UH from 1993 to ‘96, when she was twice named to the AVCA All-America first team.