Abby Kanakry enters her second season as an assistant coach, first as the recruiting coordinator under Krista Rice in 2026. She a two-time First Team All-Horizon League player and 2023 finalist for the Horizon League Sportsmanship award at Northern Kentucky.
Last season, Kanakry assisted Oakland to an 7-11 mark in Horizon League play -- the most wins for the Black and Gold in conference action since 2023. Oakland finished the season ranked among the NCAA leaders in team attacks per set, while Libby Smith led the team with 249 kills, Delaney Stern totaled 829 assists and Lyse Bates recorded a team-high 467 digs. The Golden Grizzlies also earned series sweeps over Robert Morris, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Youngstown State, while earning the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 10th consecutive season.
Kanakry, who played five years for the Norse (2018-23), comes to Rochester as an assistant after working in the private sector and coaching with SPARC and the Unified Volleyball Club in the metro-Detroit area.
The Grosse Pointe, Mich. native was a standout player for Northern Kentucky before playing professionally overseas for Alianza Lima in Peru in early 2024. As a middle blocker/opposite hitter, Kankary played in 134 matches for NKU, tallying up 1,324 kills, which marks her 13th in program history. She also holds the school record in block assists (345), as she earned 399 kills operating off of a .272 hitting clip during her final season.
She was a four-time Horizon League All-Tournament team member and led the Norse with 10 kills in their most recent NCAA Tournament match in 2019 against Michigan at the Lexington Regional.
Prior to Northern Kentucky, Kanakry played varsity volleyball at Grosse Pointe North, amassing a .350 hitting clip throughout her four seasons, while posting a .479 hitting percentage and 302 kills her senior year.
She resides in Saint Claire Shores with her husband, Matt.
