HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i Athletics Director Matt Elliott announced Friday the selection of Joshua Walker as the fourth head coach of the Rainbow Wahine volleyball program.
 
Walker, an All-American as a student-athlete and national championship-winning assistant coach for the Rainbow Warrior volleyball team, returns to his alma mater to take the helm of the women's program.
 
"We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Joshua Walker back to the University of Hawaiʻi to lead our Rainbow Wahine volleyball program," said Elliott. "Joshua embodies the very best of Hawai'i volleyball tradition and knows firsthand what it takes to win at the highest level here. His deep roots in our community, combined with his proven championship pedigree as an athlete and coach, and passion for his alma mater, make him the perfect person to lead this program. This is a homecoming, and we couldn't be more excited that Joshua, Tehane, and their beautiful ʻohana are coming back to the islands."
 
Walker comes back to Hawai'i following a highly successful tenure at Baylor, where he initially joined the staff as an assistant coach in the spring of 2022 before being promoted to Associate Head Coach in February 2023.
 
"I feel extremely blessed and thankful for this opportunity," said Walker. "I'd like to thank Matt for all his diligence in making this happen, and (UH President) Wendy Hensel for her support. I'd also like to thank my wife, the rest of my family, and friends who have helped me be ready for this opportunity. Hawai'i has been home for a while, but I love that it gets to be our workplace again. I'm excited to get going and will work to make this program truly one of a kind. I thank God for the opportunity to be a steward of this historic program, and I'm looking forward to making this a great experience for our student-athletes. I had such a wonderful time here as a student-athlete and coach before. I have won at a high level here and I'm hopeful to be able to do it again as the head coach of the Rainbow Wahine volleyball program."
 
During his time in Waco, Walker played an integral role in steering the Bears to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, extending their streak to 10 consecutive tournaments by the 2025 season. Walker helped Baylor sign a top-10 recruiting class in 2025 and has coached multiple AVCA All-Americans such as Kara McGhee and Elise McGhee, as well as 2022 Big 12 Freshman of the Year Averi Carlson.
 
In addition to his collegiate coaching success, Walker has gained valuable international experience serving as an assistant coach for USA Volleyball's women's team. He recently helped lead the U17 National Team to a gold medal at the 2026 Pan Am Cup while previously assisting the U21 National Team to gold at the 2023 Pan Am Cup.
 
However, Walker is best known to Hawai'i fans for his extensive and decorated history with the Rainbow Warrior men's volleyball program in which he was both an All-American player and national assistant coach of the year selection.  
 
As a student-athlete from 2006 to 2011, Walker was an AVCA All-American and a two-time All-MPSF standout. He was a consistent leader on the court, finishing his four-year career with 1,428 kills (3.91 kills per set), which ranks fifth in program history. He graduated from UH with a bachelor's degree in English in 2011.
 
Following an impressive professional playing career with Team USA and overseas in the United Arab Emirates, Greece, Denmark, and Finland—where he earned MVP and All-Star honors—Walker returned to Manoa in 2016 to begin his collegiate coaching career under head coach Charlie Wade.
 
During his seven seasons as an assistant coach for the Hawai'i men's program, Walker helped transform the team into a national powerhouse. He accumulated a stellar 149-36 record on staff and helped guide the Warriors to back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2021 and 2022. His coaching prowess was recognized nationally in 2019 when he became the first UH assistant to be named the AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year.
 
A native of Virginia Beach, Va., Walker is returning home to the islands alongside his wife Tehane – a standout on the Rainbow Wahine soccer team from 2005-08 – and their five children.

Coaching Experience

• Baylor (women), Associate Head Coach (2023-25), Assistant Coach (2022)
• Hawai'i (men), Assistant Coach (2016-22)

Education
Hawai'i, B.A., English (2011)
 
Hometown
Virginia Beach, Va.

By The Numbers
As a coach…

• 2019 AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year
• 2 NCAA Championships
• 9 NCAA Tournament Appearances
• 31 All-Americans 
• 48 All-Conference
• 232 Career Wins as Assistant Coach
• 2 Gold Medals with USA Volleyball

As a player…

• 2010 AVCA All-American
• 1,428 Career Kills (5th in UH History)
• 2x All-Conference Selection
• 536 Career Digs