Emma Celentano comes to Shaw University after 5 seasons as the head coach of the University of Mount Olive women's volleyball team. She engineered an incredible turnaround, inheriting a team that had 8 consecutive losing seasons and immediately turning them into a winning program capped off with 3 consecutive 20+ win seasons.
In 2024, Celentano was awarded the AVCA 30 Under 30 recognition. The 2024 season brought the University of Mount Olive their first AVCA All-American since 2007 in Ashlyn Stone and only the third ever in program history to go along with a First Team All-Conference recognition. The team also had Callie Mullins earning Second Team honors and Olivia Melvin earning Freshman of the Year, the first for UMO since 2003.
In 2023, Celentano was awarded Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year for leading the Trojans to the top conference record of 14-3 and a regional ranking of 6th. She mentored libero Morgan Prots to a program first Defensive Player of the Year award, Karoline Cox to the First Team, and Ashlyn Stone to the Second Team. In addition, Prots holds the All-Time Digs record for the Trojans.
In 2022, Celentano and the Trojans achieved a 23-9 overall record and went 15-2 in conference play. It was the program’s first 20+ win season in 17 years. Amara Eziakonwa was tabbed First Team All Conference for the second time.
2021 was Celentano’s first full season at Mount Olive following the shortened Covid season and the team maintained the improvements shown in the shortened season finishing 15-14 overall and 9-8 in conference. Celentano guided Amara Eziakonwa to the First Team All Conference as a middle blocker.
Coach Celentano’s first season at the helm moved into the spring of 2021 due to Covid restrictions and the team fired out of the gates to a 7-4 record, 6-3 in conference. An amazing change from a team that went 8-16, 4-12 in conference the season before Celentano took the reins.
Celentano came to UMO after 4 years with NCAA Division I North Carolina Central University as the associate head coach and assistant coach (elevated in 2019).
Celentano also co-founded Carolina Advantage Volleyball in 2022 where she is a Director of Training. She obtained her Bachelors in Exercise and Sport Science with a Sport Administration Minor from University of North Carolina and her Masters in Physical Education from North Carolina Central University.
Celentano came to Mount Olive after serving as an assistant coach for NCAA Division I North Carolina Central University since 2016. In 2019 she was elevated to associate head coach.
Celentano is a graduate from the University of North Carolina where she obtained her Bachelors in Exercise and Sport Science with a Coaching Education minor.
Updated: October 28th, 2025
