Meet the Coaches: Haley Chatham

Haley Chatham led Pearl River Community College into a new era and Mississippi community college athletics into uncharted territory as the Lady Wildcats’ first volleyball coach in 2019-20.

The Wildcats made an immediate impact in their debut season, earning nine wins — including their debut against Coastal Alabama-East.

A native of Vancleave, Miss., Chatham quickly rose through the ranks in South Mississippi and eventually separated herself as one of the state’s top coaches.

Chatham got into coaching at St. Martin High School as an assistant and took over Vancleave High School’s program in 2014. Over the next five years, Chatham built the Lady Bulldogs into a power, winning four district titles and capping her tenure with two consecutive Class II State Championships. 

Chatham finished her prep coaching career with a 126-40 overall record. Honors during her prep coaching career included receiving the Mississippi Association of Coaches 2017-18 Coach of the Year award, 2017-18 MAC State Championship Award, and being selected to coach in the MAC North-South All-Star Game.  

In addition to coaching at VHS, Chatham was an instructor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Volleyball Club in Kiln, Miss., and founded the Coast Volleyball Academy in Ocean Springs, Miss., in 2017.

Chatham studied science at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before earning a bachelor of arts degree in speech and hearing sciences from Southern Miss in 2007.

Haley and her husband, David, have three children, Hannah, Hayden and Graham.