Staff Directory
Kelly Gibson
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
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Head coach Jason Mansfield and the Kansas State volleyball program announced the addition of Kelly Gibson, formally Kelly O'Connor, to the staff on February 7, 2025.
Entering her second season on staff, Gibson serves as an assistant coach, with primary responsibilities including coaching passers and defenders, utilizing analytics, and assisting with the Wildcats’ overall defense.
Gibson helped propel K-State to the NCAA Tournament in her first season with the Cats. It marked the team’s first appearance since 2021 and first postseason victory since 2016, as the Cats defeated eighth-seeded San Diego in a thrilling five-set opening-round match.
K-State's defense ranked among the Big 12's best in 2025, finishing third in the conference with 14.69 digs per set while holding opponents to a .198 hitting percentage, the fifth-lowest mark in the league.
The Wildcats tied the program record with five wins over Top 25 opponents, highlighted by a historic five-set victory over No. 14 Kansas in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. Astor orchestrated a standout defensive performance against the Jayhawks, limiting the them to a season-low .104 hitting percentage in conference play. K-State recorded a season-best 93 digs in the victory, the most by any Big 12 team during the 2025 season, led by Symone Sims' team- and career-high 26 digs.
K-State ranked among the Big 12's best in 2025, finishing third in the conference with 14.69 digs per set while holding opponents to a .198 hitting percentage, the fifth-lowest mark in the league.
Prior to her hire in 2025, the Sundance, Wyoming native spent three seasons as the associate head coach at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, following three years as an assistant after joining the staff in 2019.
The Mavericks made history in 2023, winning the Summit League Championship and appearing in the program’s first NCAA Division I Tournament. Gibson assisted the Mavericks to their second consecutive 20-win season in 2022, while the 2021 squad finished first in the league standings with 16 conference victories.
Before her time at Omaha, Gibson served as the video coordinator for the Nebraska Husker volleyball program where the team captured the 2017 NCAA Division I National Championship and finished as the national runner-up in 2018. Prior to that, she spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Hastings College, helping the Broncos capture the 2016 NAIA national title.
Gibson began her collegiate playing career at Great Falls College in Montana before transferring to Dickinson State in North Dakota, where she played two seasons for the Blue Hawks and later served as a student assistant.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics education with a minor in biology from Dickinson State in 2015. Kelly and her husband Hayden Gibson, who is part of the K-State football coaching staff, reside in Manhattan.
Entering her second season on staff, Gibson serves as an assistant coach, with primary responsibilities including coaching passers and defenders, utilizing analytics, and assisting with the Wildcats’ overall defense.
Gibson helped propel K-State to the NCAA Tournament in her first season with the Cats. It marked the team’s first appearance since 2021 and first postseason victory since 2016, as the Cats defeated eighth-seeded San Diego in a thrilling five-set opening-round match.
K-State's defense ranked among the Big 12's best in 2025, finishing third in the conference with 14.69 digs per set while holding opponents to a .198 hitting percentage, the fifth-lowest mark in the league.
The Wildcats tied the program record with five wins over Top 25 opponents, highlighted by a historic five-set victory over No. 14 Kansas in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. Astor orchestrated a standout defensive performance against the Jayhawks, limiting the them to a season-low .104 hitting percentage in conference play. K-State recorded a season-best 93 digs in the victory, the most by any Big 12 team during the 2025 season, led by Symone Sims' team- and career-high 26 digs.
K-State ranked among the Big 12's best in 2025, finishing third in the conference with 14.69 digs per set while holding opponents to a .198 hitting percentage, the fifth-lowest mark in the league.
Prior to her hire in 2025, the Sundance, Wyoming native spent three seasons as the associate head coach at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, following three years as an assistant after joining the staff in 2019.
The Mavericks made history in 2023, winning the Summit League Championship and appearing in the program’s first NCAA Division I Tournament. Gibson assisted the Mavericks to their second consecutive 20-win season in 2022, while the 2021 squad finished first in the league standings with 16 conference victories.
Before her time at Omaha, Gibson served as the video coordinator for the Nebraska Husker volleyball program where the team captured the 2017 NCAA Division I National Championship and finished as the national runner-up in 2018. Prior to that, she spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Hastings College, helping the Broncos capture the 2016 NAIA national title.
Gibson began her collegiate playing career at Great Falls College in Montana before transferring to Dickinson State in North Dakota, where she played two seasons for the Blue Hawks and later served as a student assistant.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics education with a minor in biology from Dickinson State in 2015. Kelly and her husband Hayden Gibson, who is part of the K-State football coaching staff, reside in Manhattan.
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