American University

It took just three seasons for Ahen Kim to bring AU Volleyball back to glory, bringing the program its first Patriot League title in six years in 2025.

Kim led a historic campaign that saw six players land on All-Patriot League teams, the most in program history since 2004. The Eagles also swept the Patriot League major awards, with Deniz Dakak winning Player and Setter of the Year, Sophie Dufour Rookie of the Year, and Bella Marrero Libero of the Year. Additionally, Kim and his assistants were named Coaching Staff of the Year. In his three seasons at AU, Kim has coached 12 All-Patriot League selections and seven major award winners in the conference. 

Having lost nine players from the 2024 team, Kim guided a squad of three freshmen, seven sophomores, and three juniors to one of the program's most impressive seasons. The Eagles won 24 games, the most under Kim's leadership and the most for American since 2019. They had an especially dominant year, winning 15 matches in a row and sweeping opponents 16 times, posting a 15-1 Patriot League record.

Kim returned to D.C. in 2023, having been an assistant from 2012 to 2017 under legendary head coach Barry Goldberg. He was a part of three NCAA Tournament victories before taking the head coaching job at Brown, where he was named Ivy Coach of the Year in 2021. 

Immediately finding success at the helm of AU volleyball, Kim led the Eagles to back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2023 and 2024. AU finished third in the Patriot League in 2024 after a 10-6 showing in conference play in 2024, which included a seven-match win-streak from October 5 to November 1. The Eagles ran through Lehigh, Army (twice), Holy Cross, Colgate, and Lafayette in the heart of Patriot League play. Outside hitter Zedo Yilmaz had an outstanding freshman season, earning AU’s first Patriot League Rookie of the Year award since 2019. She ranked second in the conference with 3.91 points per set, while leading the Eagles in service aces with 37. 

In his first season at the helm of the program in 2023, Kim led the Eagles to their best season in four years. On their way to 20 wins, American won seven of its final eight regular season matches before winning another two in the Patriot League Tournament and advancing to the title match against Colgate. Kim coached 2023 Patriot League Player of the Year and AVCA Honorable Mention All-American Zeynep Uzen, as well as 2023 Patriot League Setter of the Year Esma Sipahi. In December following the season, Kim was named one of Volleyball Magazine's Coaching Hotshots Under 40.

Kim spent five years at Brown University before returning to American, landing his first head coaching job with the Bears in 2018. He quickly turned around a struggling program over five seasons, leading the Bears to 13 wins in just his second campaign, marking the most victories in the program since 2001. In 2021, he took the Bears to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 23 years after a 20-win season. They went 11-1 in conference play and Cierra Jenkins took home the Ivy League Player of the Year award, also earning honorable mention All-America honors. Under Kim's leadership, Brown became just the second team in Ivy League history to sweep the four yearly awards, and the first team in league history to have five players named First Team All-Ivy. Following the 2022 season, he left Brown to coach a professional team in South Korea before he accepted the head coaching position at AU. 

Over Kim’s six seasons as an assistant at American, he coached and recruited three AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans, six AVCA All-Region performers, and three Patriot League Players of the Year. He oversaw the development of five Patriot League Tournament MVPs, 15 First Team All-Patriot League selections, and 17 Patriot League All-Tournament honorees. Off the court, he mentored three Patriot League Scholar-Athletes of the Year, three CoSIDA Academic All-District selections, and one CoSIDA Academic All-American.
 
Prior to his time in D.C., Kim served as an assistant coach at Houston Baptist University during the 2011 season, as an assistant coach at George Washington University in 2010, and as an assistant coach at the Catholic University of America in 2009. He also coached with Metro Volleyball Club in Washington, D.C., from 2013-17, acting as the head coach of the U17 team.
 
A 2007 graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, he earned bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and American Government.
 
In 2022, Kim married Amy Pauly, a former standout volleyball player at Alabama who was an assistant and associate head coach at the University of Southern California from 2020 until 2023 before recently being announced as the head coach of the Orlando Pro Volleyball Federation.

Ahen Kim left AU in January 2026
 
The Ahen Kim File
 
Collegiate Coaching Career
Catholic University of America, Assistant Coach (2009)
George Washington University, Assistant Coach (2010)
Houston Baptist University, Assistant Coach (2011)
American University, Assistant Coach (2012-17)
Brown University, Head Coach (2018-22)
American University, Head Coach (2023-pres.)