The fall of 2011 proved to be the strongest season in Polar Bear volleyball team history.   Coach Karen Corey's sixth season ended with the Polar Bears earning the program best record (27-3), their first NESCAC title, and competing into the second round of the NCAA tournament.  The season also saw Corey notch her 100th collegiate coaching win.  Her teams have averaged over 19 wins per season and her .634 winning percentage is easily the best of any coach in the Polar Bear program history.

The 2011 team completed regular season play undefeated in conference play (10-0), won the NESCAC conference tournament, and advanced to the NCAA round of 32.   The Polar Bears ended the season ranked 26th in the NCAA National Poll.  Corey earned a hat trick of awards - NESCAC Coach of the Year, NEWVA Coach of the Year and AVCA New England Region Coach of the Year.   Senior Kristin Hanczor was the first Polar Bear to be named NESCAC Player of the Year and the program’s first athlete to achieve AVCA All American honors. 

Aside from coaching at Bowdoin, Coach Corey has worked in various other facets of the sport, from running youth programs for the local recreation department to coaching the United States Navy Women’s volleyball program and the US Armed Forces Volleyball team in International competition.    Corey coached the Navy team to a Gold Medal in 2009 and a Silver Medal in 2010.   Her two beach teams won Gold and Silver medals in the inaugural 2010 Armed Forces Beach Tournament.   She has also been twice selected to serve as Head Coach for the US Armed Forces program, competing at the World Military Volleyball Championships in Brazil in 2009 and North Carolina in 2010.  

Corey started playing volleyball with a strong prep career that included an Illinois Class A State Championship, All State All Tournament selection, Second team All Conference member, and an Academic All-Conference selection for three years.

She continued her athletic and academic success at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. A readily contributing member to the Division I Midshipmen team, Corey earned four varsity letters at Navy, received Patriot League Second Team All Conference both her junior and senior years, and was team MVP her senior year. After graduation and between military tours, Corey continued to play competitive volleyball and competed for the All-Navy Volleyball team in 1998 and 1999.

Her coaching career started as a volunteer at various local high schools at her duty stations and formally continued after her active duty military service. In 2001, Corey was the freshman coach at Princeton High School (Princeton, IL). She came to Bowdoin in 2004 and served as the director of volleyball operations and moved to the first assistant position in 2005.

Corey has earned a B.S. in Oceanography (USNA), M.S. in Sports Management (Northern Illinois University) and MBA (Northern Illinois University). In her naval career, she served as an Officer on a combatant destroyer with a deployment to the Persian Gulf.  Additionally, she did tours as a meteorologist and as an oceanographer specializing in the Mediterranean theater. Corey is also USA Volleyball CAP Level III coach, is the current President of the New England Women’s Volleyball Association (NEWVA), and is a member of several boards. 

She resides in Brunswick with her husband and three daughters.