Brian Failinger became the head coach of the Biola Volleyball program in the spring of 2024. The 2026 season marks his third year leading the Eagles. Failinger originally joined the program as a volunteer assistant coach in the fall of 2020 and was promoted to associate head coach before taking over the program.
"Coach Brian Failinger has demonstrated his commitment to our vision to see all student-athletes empowered, transformed, and thriving in who God has made them to be," said Dr. Bethany Miller when Failinger was named head coach. "Brian has high volleyball acumen, a passion for whole-person development, and a strong leadership capacity. We are confident that Brian will continue the tradition of excellence in the program."
Head Coaching Record
| Season |
Overall |
Conference |
Postseason |
| 2024 |
9-19 |
7-13 (10th) |
- |
| 2025 |
17-10 |
7-5 (5th) |
- |
| Career (2 seasons) |
26-29 (.473) |
14-18 (.438) |
|
Coaching Highlights at Biola
- Coached 2 All-PacWest honorees
- Earned a win over No. 19 Seattle Pacific in 2024
Through the Years
2025: Failinger guided the Eagles to a 17-10 overall record and a 7-5 mark in PacWest play, finishing fifth in the conference. Kendall Vandertuig earned First Team All-PacWest honors, while Hannah Hanson was named to the Second Team.
2024: Failinger's first season as head coach saw the Eagles finish 9-19 overall and 7-13 in PacWest play, placing 10th in the conference. Biola earned a top-25 victory over No. 19 Seattle Pacific, 3-1, on Sept. 7 at the Yotes Classic Showcase in San Bernardino.
As an Assistant Coach (2020-23)
Before becoming head coach, Failinger spent four seasons on the Biola staff as an assistant coach (2020-22) and associate head coach (2023). During that time, the Eagles won the PacWest SoCal Pod championship in the spring of 2021 and posted three straight seasons with at least 17 wins (2021-23). Biola players earned 11 all-conference honors over those four seasons, including three on the spring 2021 All-SoCal Pod team, along with more than 50 Academic All-PacWest honors.
In 2021, Failinger was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association's 30 Under 30 list for indoor and beach volleyball.
Before Biola
Before coming to Biola, Failinger was the technical coordinator for the NCAA Division I Long Beach State women's volleyball staff from 2017-19. He gathered and coordinated all of the team's statistical information through Data Volley and Volleymetrics and produced scouting reports for video analysis from practices and matches. The Beach won 26 matches over the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and Failinger helped the program produce nine All-Big West selections (four in 2017 and five in 2018).
Failinger coached for Team Rockstar Volleyball club from 2018-20, and his 14-1s team took third place in the Open division at the 2019 USA Volleyball Boys National Championships. He was also a P1440 developmental athlete for the 2019-20 fall/winter roster.
In the summer of 2020, Failinger returned to Concordia University Irvine as a graduate assistant with the beach volleyball program, the same year he joined the Biola staff.
Since 2015, Failinger has also worked as a technical coordinator, intern and volunteer for USA Volleyball. He served as the technical coordinator and team manager for the 2017 Men's Pan Am Cup team.
Playing Career
Failinger played collegiately at Concordia Irvine from 2015-17. He also served as a manager and a practice player for the Indiana Women’s Volleyball team from 2013-15. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in exercise science from both Indiana University and Concordia University Irvine.
