Leo Sayles enters his seventh season as Grove City College's head women's volleyball coach and associate athletic director for sports ministry. He also holds the title of Director of Volleyball in conjunction with Grove City's addition of men's volleyball as a varsity sport in January 2025.
Since joining the College athletic department in December 2018, Sayles has helped lead the Grove City volleyball program back to the Presidents' Athletic Conference's upper echelon while also expanding the department's sports ministry program.
In 2023, Grove City posted a 19-11 overall record. Grove City posted an 8-2 conference record in 2022 while advancing to the conference tournament semifinals. Grove City finished 18-11 overall and participated in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Championship Tournament.
The 2021 Wolverines went 19-12 overall, advancing to both the PAC semifinals and the ECAC Championship Tournament.
In 2019, Sayles guided the Grove City volleyball program to its first 20-win season in 12 years. The Wolverines advanced to the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals and also qualified for the ECAC Tournament.
Seniors Maria Boris and Emma Hartshorn both earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.
Prior to coming to Grove CIty, Sayles spent eight years as head coach at Gardner-Webb University. At Gardner-Webb, Sayles’ teams achieved numerous milestones both on the court and in the classroom. In 2017, Gardner-Webb earned its first win over a major Division I university when the Bulldogs earned a five-set win over East Carolina.
Sayles owns several Gardner-Webb coaching records in volleyball, including most Division I wins in a season, most Big South Conference victories and the program’s best conference finish.
Gardner-Webb earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award in each of the last seven seasons. In 2017, Gardner-Webb led the Big South with 14 volleyball honorees on the conference’s Presidential Honor Roll.
Gardner-Webb also earned the Big South’s Sportsmanship Award in four consecutive years.
Sayles began his collegiate coaching career at Bryan College, an NAIA institution located in Dayton, Tenn., from 2004 through the 2010 season. He led Bryan to a 70-14 record in Appalachian Athletic Conference play over his last five seasons, along with five consecutive 20-win seasons.
Eighteen players earned All-AAC honors during his time at Bryan. Sayles guided the Lions to the AAC regular season title and to the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national semifinals in 2009. He earned AAC Coach of the Year honors in 2006.
Sayles also spent nine years as a high school head coach in Redlands, Calif., East Hartford, Conn., and Rockville, Conn.
Sayles served as a youth pastor and minister of music in urban, suburban and rural churches over a 15-year span. After transitioning from pastoral ministry into coaching, he served several years as a college Sunday School teacher.
He recently authored “Ordering Our Steps: Committing Life and Sport to Christ” – a 31-day sports devotional for the athlete, coach or sports fan.
At Grove City, Sayles has developed the "G.E.A.R." sports ministry program, which encompasses all 22 intercollegiate sports programs at the College. G.E.A.R. is designed to disciple Grove City athletes, encouraging athletes to affirm their faith and embrace their platform through sport to serve others.
Sayles owns a bachelor’s degree in music from University of LaVerne. He has completed graduate work at Central Connecticut State and University of California-Riverside.
He and his wife, Tanya, have five children.
