Emma Hannaford Carter was named the Union University volleyball head coach in March of 2026. Carter comes to Union after spending two seasons at Davidson-Davie Community College. The fall of 2026 will be her first season at Union.
While at Davidson-Davie, Carter led the 2025 team to a 33-7 record, the most wins in program history. Her team claimed the NJCAA Region 10 title and the NJCAA District Southeast-A title. Carter led Davidson-Davie to its first ever NJCAA National Tournament. She was named District Southeast-A Coach of the Year.
In addition to Carter’s two years at the junior college level, she coach the Market City Volleyball Club in High Point, N.C. while at Davidson-Davie. Prior to that, was coaches at Karns High School and Club Unite in Knoxville.
Carter played for Johnson University from 2020-22 for Coach Robin Vannoy before graduating a year early in the spring of 2023 with a degree Family Studies and Bible & Theology. She was a 3-year starter as a middle blocker, earning 2-time All-Mideast Region Honors, as well as being named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete. During the 2021 season, she helped lead the Royals to the NCCAA-ll MidEast Regional Championship and a runner-up finish in the national tournament runner-up. It was the highest team finish in Johnson University volleyball history. In 2022, the Royals clinched their first AAC Tournament birth after moving to NAIA.
Carter is from Jackson, Tennessee where she graduated from Trinity Christian Academy in 2020. During her high school career, she played volleyball for Kelly Toomey Elliott and Christa Karns. She was a 4-year player, earning all-conference honors, while leading the team in kills, hitting percentage, blocks, and aces as a senior. She was part of two conference championships, two region titles, and one trip to the TSSAA State Tournament. Carter also played basketball and was a member of the 2020 TSSAA Division ll-A State Championship team.
Carter and her husband, William, now reside in Jackson. She is the daughter of Mike and Becky Hannaford.
