Rice University Athletics
Staff Directory
Caitlin Nolan-Ayeni
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
Former volleyball standout Caitlin Nolan-Ayeni enters her first season on the Rice volleyball staff after being hired in May 2026.
Prior to Rice, Nolan-Ayeni spent six seasons at the University of Houston, including three as associate head coach, where she helped develop multiple conference liberos of the year and All-Americans while guiding one of the nation’s top defensive units.
A two-time AVCA All-American from Iowa State, Nolan comes to Houston as one of the most decorated student-athletes to come through the Cyclone Volleyball program. Along with her Big 12 accolades, Nolan also received back-to-back AVCA All-America honors from 2014-15, earning a spot on the Second Team in 2015 and a Third Team selection in 2014.
Aside from her pair of All-America awards, Nolan landed spots on the AVCA All-Midwest Region First Team, becoming the seventh Cyclone player to make an All-Region First Team multiple times. From 2014-15, Nolan became a unanimous First-Team All-Big 12 selection and was named back-to-back Big 12 Libero of the Year in that span.
During her time with Iowa State, Nolan helped lead the Cyclones to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and in her senior campaign, Nolan posted not only an Iowa State record 5.77 digs per set but a Big 12 record as well. In the summer of 2013, Nolan had the privilege to represent her country, serving as the libero for the U.S Junior National Team at the U-20 World Championships in the Czech Republic.
While with the Cyclones, Nolan was also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), having organized and participated in community outreach programs to help create better opportunities for student-athletes. As a result of her leadership, Nolan was named captain of the Cyclone volleyball team for the 2014 and 2015 seasons and later earned the honor as the Iowa State Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2016.
Following her four-year career at Iowa State, the Southlake, Texas, native served as a graduate assistant for SMU Volleyball. Her time spent with the Mustangs comprised of keeping track of statistics during matches, assisting with the day-to-day practice and travel operations, along with assisting with recruiting needs, such as scouting prospective student-athletes at national tournaments.
Nolan and her husband, Terry Ayeni, and two daughters, Sloane and Skylar, reside in Houston.
Prior to Rice, Nolan-Ayeni spent six seasons at the University of Houston, including three as associate head coach, where she helped develop multiple conference liberos of the year and All-Americans while guiding one of the nation’s top defensive units.
A two-time AVCA All-American from Iowa State, Nolan comes to Houston as one of the most decorated student-athletes to come through the Cyclone Volleyball program. Along with her Big 12 accolades, Nolan also received back-to-back AVCA All-America honors from 2014-15, earning a spot on the Second Team in 2015 and a Third Team selection in 2014.
Aside from her pair of All-America awards, Nolan landed spots on the AVCA All-Midwest Region First Team, becoming the seventh Cyclone player to make an All-Region First Team multiple times. From 2014-15, Nolan became a unanimous First-Team All-Big 12 selection and was named back-to-back Big 12 Libero of the Year in that span.
During her time with Iowa State, Nolan helped lead the Cyclones to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and in her senior campaign, Nolan posted not only an Iowa State record 5.77 digs per set but a Big 12 record as well. In the summer of 2013, Nolan had the privilege to represent her country, serving as the libero for the U.S Junior National Team at the U-20 World Championships in the Czech Republic.
While with the Cyclones, Nolan was also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), having organized and participated in community outreach programs to help create better opportunities for student-athletes. As a result of her leadership, Nolan was named captain of the Cyclone volleyball team for the 2014 and 2015 seasons and later earned the honor as the Iowa State Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2016.
Following her four-year career at Iowa State, the Southlake, Texas, native served as a graduate assistant for SMU Volleyball. Her time spent with the Mustangs comprised of keeping track of statistics during matches, assisting with the day-to-day practice and travel operations, along with assisting with recruiting needs, such as scouting prospective student-athletes at national tournaments.
Nolan and her husband, Terry Ayeni, and two daughters, Sloane and Skylar, reside in Houston.
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