Leslie Gabriel Takes Charge Of Husky Volleyball

As a player and then as an assistant, Leslie Gabriel has been a part of 618 wins for Washington Volleyball over twenty-six seasons. Her next win will be her first as Head Coach.

University of Washington Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen today named Leslie Gabriel (formerly Tuiasosopo) as the ninth Head Coach in program history, bringing about a well-earned transition for one of the most respected coaches in the game, while maintaining stability in the vaunted Husky program.

“After conducting a national search, it is clear that Leslie Gabriel is the best person to continue the amazing tradition of excellence we have in Husky Volleyball,” said Cohen. “As a former standout UW volleyball student-athlete, Tui embodies what it means to be a Husky. She has been a part of the program's biggest moments as a player and coach, including a National Championship and many deep NCAA Tournament runs. Tui is an elite competitor who is committed to excellence on and off the court. I am confident her passion for both the sport and the development of young women will continue the strong culture we have in volleyball on Montlake."

Gabriel takes the reins from Keegan Cook, who stepped down on Dec. 12 shortly after the conclusion of Washington’s 21st-straight NCAA tournament appearance. Washington’s postseason streak is fifth-longest in the NCAA, and Gabriel has been on the bench for every single one. 

The 2020 AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year, Gabriel helped lay every foundational brick as she worked with previous head coaches Jim McLaughlin and Cook to build the Huskies into a national power. In her twenty-two seasons on staff, Gabriel helped the Huskies finish ranked in the top-10 fourteen times.

“It has been a dream of mine to be the head coach here and I am beyond excited to lead the women in this program,” said Gabriel. “I want to thank Jennifer Cohen and Erin O’Connell for believing in and trusting me to lead the program here at the University of Washington. I could not be more honored.

“The love that I have for this University, the players in our program, both current and past, and the Seattle community is deep. I feel extremely blessed to have learned under two great coaches during my time here at UW, Jim McLaughlin and Keegan Cook. Thank you, Jim, for believing in me and giving me my first coaching opportunity and for your continued mentorship and care for me in my development as a coach and person. And to Keegan, thank you for challenging me and giving me spaces to grow for the past nearly 10 years. I am indebted to you both. The last 22 years here at UW has shaped me into the person and coach that I am today and have prepared me for this opportunity.

“The UW Volleyball program has always been about the players and helping them to achieve excellence in all that they do and I cannot wait to return to work and start a new chapter with the women in the program,” said Gabriel.

As a Husky player from 1995-98, Gabriel was one of the best blockers in Pac-12 history. She joined McLaughlin's staff when he took over the program in 2001, rising to Associate Head Coach, and helping develop a legacy of Husky All-Americans at every position. In her more than two decades at UW, Gabriel has worked with twenty-seven AVCA All-Americans.

During Gabriel’s time at Washington, the Huskies have reached five Final Fours (2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2020) winning the 2005 NCAA title, and advanced to 21-straight NCAA tournaments, averaging 25 wins per year. The Huskies have seven Pac-12 Conference titles in Gabriel’s tenure (2004, 2005, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021) and seven more second-place finishes (2006-09, 2014, 2017, 2019).

Gabriel becomes the ninth Head Coach in Washington history. She is the fourth female Head Coach, but the first since Debbie Buse in 1991. Buse is also the only other former Husky player to serve as Head Coach.

Leslie married Anthony Gabriel, an academic advisor at Washington, in 2010, and gave birth to the couple's first son, Daylon, in May of 2011, followed by a second son, Myles, in March of 2013, and a daughter, Lanea, in October of 2014.