Amber McCray enters her sixth year as the head coach of the Louisiana Tech Volleyball program. The former Florida All-American was named the 10th head coach in the program's history on December 12, 2018.

In 2023, the Bulldogs swept Jacksonville State on the final weekend of the season to qualify for the CUSA Tournament for the first time since joining the league in 2013. Jailen Hurley earned CUSA Offensive Player of the Week for her performance against the Gamecocks, the first weekly honor for a Bulldog since McKenzie Johnson in 2021, and just the second time ever in CUSA. Grace Krohn became just the second Bulldog to earn a spot on the CUSA All-Freshman Team, joining Johnson. With her final dig against Grambling, Johnson became the fastest Bulldog to reach 1,000 career digs.

LA Tech built some momentum coming out of the 2022 season that saw the program register 11 wins, the most since 2019. Four of those came against Conference USA action, including two 3-0 sweeps of Charlotte and UTSA, to match the most CUSA victories in a single season since 2016. The team came one win shy of qualifying for the CUSA Tournament for the first time in program history, a goal they are set out to do in 2023.

The momentum carried over from a nine-win season in 2021, which saw a number of statistical improvements, most notably in team attacks per set (37.83), which ranked 17th in the country, and in digs per set (16.54), which ranked 34th in the nation. The uptick in digs was thanks in large part to Johnson, who earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors, the first Bulldog to be named all-conference since 2017.

In the split 2020-21 season, Johnson was one of nine newcomers who joined the program along with Morgan Smith, who anchored the team in blocks in each of the last two seasons.

LA Tech tallied an overall record of 13-15 in McCray's first season at the helm in 2019, including a blistering 11-4 start to the season. The hot start included a stretch in which the Bulldogs reeled off eight wins in nine matches while claiming two tournament championships -- Sam Houston State Invitational and the LA Tech Invitational.

The team improved statistically in several categories, including more kills, assists, aces, and blocks per set than in 2018 while returning many of the same student-athletes. The 2019 team also committed 99 fewer errors than the prior year. 

Under McCray's leadership, the program has also excelled in the classroom, earning the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award four times, 69 Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll recipients, and 13 Academic Medalists.

McCray came to Ruston after building Panola College into a nationally ranked program. She led the Fillies to 169 wins and two National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament appearances (2016, 2017). In three other seasons at Panola, she was one win away from the national tournament.

McCray spent eight seasons at Panola — six as the head coach — earning conference Coach of the Year honors in 2014 and 2016, Region XIV District H Coach of the Year honors in 2016, and Region XIV District I Coach of the Year honors in 2017. She guided the Fillies to a seventh-place finish in the national tournament in 2016 and a ninth-place finish in 2017.

The 2016 team won 35 matches and was ranked No. 1 in the country in the NJCAA Division I polls over the final three weeks of the season. It marked her second 30-plus-win season at Panola, as the 2015 team also accomplished the feat — the program's first in over a decade.

During her time at Panola, McCray coached 28 First or Second team Region XIV All-Conference performers, 19 Region XIV academic all-conference honorees, and two NJCAA All-Americans. Panola volleyball had a 100 percent graduation rate for volleyball student-athletes enrolled at the school through all four semesters during McCray's tenure.

McCray spent two years as an assistant coach at Panola (2011-2013) prior to being promoted to the head coaching position in 2013. She also spent eight years coaching club volleyball teams in east Texas.

As a student-athlete at Florida (2003-07), McCray was a two-year captain and a member of five straight Southeastern Conference championship teams (including a medical redshirt season). She was a member of the team that advanced to the national championship game in 2003. She was named Second-Team All-American in 2006 and two-time all-Southeastern Conference in 2006 and 2007.

McCray also excelled off the court, earning ESPN The Magazine 2nd Team Academic All-American honors in 2007, ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors from 2005-2007, and the SEC Academic Honor Roll from 2004-2007. She was nominated to represent the entire UF athletic program at the NCAA Leadership Convention in 2006, and her efforts in the Gainesville community earned her a spot on the SEC Community Service Team in 2007.

As a senior, McCray also received the Tracy Caulkins Award, which was presented to UF's top graduating female student-athlete who possesses the traits of academic achievement, athletic achievement, leadership, and community involvement.  

McCray was a decorated three-sport athlete for Pine Tree (Texas) High School, becoming the state of Texas' first two-time recipient of the Gatorade High School Volleyball Player of the Year Award in 2001 and 2002.