Eli Sharping joined the volleyball staff as an assistant coach in February 2020. Sharping is in charge of technical coordinating, opponent scout, and camp while also aiding in day-to-day operations, recruiting, and player development.
In his first season with the Illini in 2020, Sharping was instrumental in Taylor Kuper’s transition to libero during a breakout junior season in which she collected AVCA Northeast All-Region Honorable Mention and All-Big Ten First-Team accolades while leading the Big Ten Conference and ranking fifth nationally in aces and ranking fourth in the league with 4.41 digs per set.
In his second year with the Illini program, Sharping helped guide the Orange and Blue to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Sharping saw Megan Cooney earn AVCA All-America Honorable Mention recognition following a stellar campaign during which the outside hitter ranked second on the team with 376 kills for a 3.03 kills per set average and a .267 hitting percentage. Cooney capped off her career with over 1,500 kills. Sharping also oversaw Diana Brown and her achievements as the setter was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2021.
During the 2022 season, Sharping saw the Fighting Illini go 15-15 overall and 10-10 against Big Ten opponents. Junior outside hitter Raina Terry was named a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten First Team and also received AVCA All-Region honors. Diana Brown went back-to-back under Sharping’s tenure, earning Academic All-America honors from the newly named College Sports Communicators (CSC) organization. Illinois improved to 16-14 in 2023 with an 11-9 Big Ten mark. Terry, once again, received All-Big Ten First Team honors and garnered AVCA All-Region accolades for a second-straight year. Libero Caroline Barnes also earned CSC Academic All-District honors for a second-straight season in 2023.
In 2024, Sharping saw the Illini post an 18-13 overall mark with an 10-10 record against an expanded Big Ten slate. Racking up the accolades yet again was Terry, who was a unanimous All-Big Ten First Team honoree, an AVCA All-Region selection, and an AVCA All-American during her final campaign donning the Orange and Blue. Terry closed out her career with 2,138 kills, 2,522.0 points, and 220 aces. All three marks rank first in the Illinois volleyball record book. In her lone season with the Illini, libero Christina Martinez Mundo shined under Sharping's direction, posting a squad-high 404 digs, including four matches with 20-plus digs.
Sharping arrived at Illinois following a successful three-season stint as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after joining the Panther staff in spring of 2017.
While at Milwaukee, Sharping helped MKE see major growth in the volleyball program, including seeing an 18-win improvement from 2018 that culminated in a 26-6 overall record in 2019 and a 12-4 mark in conference play, with the Panthers earning a No. 2 seed in the Horizon League Tournament, marking its highest postseason seed since 2014. MKE’s 26 wins were also a program-best since moving to the NCAA Division I level.
Primarily responsible for defense and passing, Sharping guided Milwaukee to a 20% improvement in digs per set, while opponent attack percentage dropped 24%. He helped train 2019 Horizon League Freshman of the Year Ari Miller, who averaged 2.71 kills per set and attacked at a .285 clip as a rookie, as well as libero Jess Grabowski, who broke the freshman dig record in 2018 and then went on to break the program record for digs/set as a sophomore and was named Horizon League Honorable Mention All-Conference.
Prior to Milwaukee, Sharping spent two seasons at the University of Tulsa, where he helped the Golden Hurricane amass 34 wins, including a 19-13 record in his final year with the program. Sharping arrived at Tulsa in 2015 after one season as the assistant coach with the East Carolina Pirates. In 2014, ECU posted 15 wins in a tough American Athletic Conference.
Before heading to ECU, Sharping served as an assistant coach at the University of Georgia during the 2013 season. Sharping was responsible for opponent scouting using Data Volley and Data Video. In his year with Georgia, he helped guide the Bulldogs to a 22-9 mark, which was the program’s best record since 1994. He also led Georgia to an 11-win conference mark, which tallied the Bulldogs' best SEC record since the 1995 season as they went on to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2004.
Prior to his stint at Georgia, Sharping served as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin. He helped the Badgers to a 17-win season while assisting the coaching staff with opponent scouting, video exchange, and on-campus recruiting.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Sharping also brings years of club-level success to Champaign. He spent five seasons as the head coach of the Capital Volleyball Academy in Madison, Wis., where he coached the 16, 17, and 18 age levels. In his second year with CVA, Sharping pioneered his squad to a ninth-place finish at the Junior Volleyball Association National Championships at the 18 Open Level before leading his 2010 team to a fifth-place showing at the 18 Open Level AAU National Championships.
Sharping also brings several years of camp experience to the Illini, as he has worked volleyball camps at Wisconsin, Marquette, Nebraska, and Georgia.
While a student at Wisconsin, Sharping played for the men’s club team from 2007-11 and served as a practice player for the women’s volleyball team from 2008-11. He was also a member of the Sports Performance Boys’ Volleyball Club from 2005-07. The all-area, all-conference, and honorable mention all-state selection at Lake Park High School (Ill.) earned his bachelor's degree in neurobiology from Wisconsin in 2012.
