Karie Matthias

Karie Matthias brings more than 25 years of coaching experience to the FVP Pirates 13U team. A Howard native, Karie played volleyball for the Bay Port Pirates before continuing her career at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. At UWSP, she was teammates with fellow FVP coaches Toni Giebel and Bethany Barber, making their reunion as coaches at FVP especially meaningful.

Karie played outside hitter in high school before transitioning primarily to right side and defensive specialist in college. After her collegiate career, she continued competing in grass, beach, indoor, and coed tournaments across the country. Volleyball has given Karie lifelong friendships, countless memories, opportunities to travel and compete, and even introduced her to her husband, Marty.

Throughout her coaching career, Karie has worked with athletes at nearly every level, from youth clinics to varsity and competitive club volleyball. She has coached with Wisconsin Ice, Appleton Excel, Wisconsin Volleyball Academy, and Fox Valley Performance. She also spent six years as the Varsity Assistant Coach at Appleton North High School, two years as Head JV Coach at Pacelli High School, and has coached youth clinics through Bay Port High School.

What Karie enjoys most about coaching is helping athletes discover what they are capable of and watching their confidence grow. Her philosophy centers on developing confidence, character, strong fundamentals, teamwork, and coachability. She wants practices to challenge athletes to develop their skills, strategy, and mental toughness, then step onto the court ready to compete aggressively with positivity, confidence, and joy.

Her advice to athletes reflects that approach: “Be coachable, never stop learning, and remember: you don’t have to be the best. You just have to be better than you were yesterday.”

Karie is excited to coach at FVP because of the club’s commitment to developing athletes both on and off the court. This season, she looks forward to watching her players learn, compete, challenge themselves, and develop a genuine love for volleyball while building the friendships and memories that make the sport so special.

Outside of volleyball, Karie is a marketing director at a professional services firm, where she leads projects and teams through strategic planning and collaboration. She and her husband, Marty, have two children, Kylie and Kolton, and much of her time away from work and volleyball is spent cheering them on in basketball, baseball, softball, flag football, and volleyball. Their family also includes two dogs, Jax, a Doberman, and Oliver, a Pit Bull.