ATLANTA — Georgia State head beach volleyball coach Beth Van Fleet announced the appointment of Kelly Dorn as the program's assistant coach and mental performance coach, effective Aug. 1, 2026.
Dorn transitions into the full-time role after serving as the Sandy Panthers' exploratory mental performance coach during the 2025-26 season, where she helped guide Georgia State to another championship campaign.
"We are delighted to add Kelly Dorn as the third full-time coach to our staff," beach volley ball head coach Beth Van Fleet said. "This is an incredible step forward for our program and our sport. More importantly, we are grateful that our administration sees the value in mental performance and mental health."
A former standout student-athlete for the Panthers, Dorn returns to the coaching staff after establishing herself as one of the most accomplished players in program history while bringing a unique combination of competitive experience and expertise in mental performance.
"As a coach, Kelly brings competitive insight from her collegiate career and adds another level of expertise as a mental performance coach," Van Fleet said. "We look forward to further developing our team, while both supporting and challenging and the humans who form it."
During the 2025-26 season, Dorn worked extensively with Georgia State's student-athletes to strengthen confidence, focus, resilience, emotional control and motivation. Through individualized mental performance training that emphasized goal setting, visualization, mindfulness and stress-management techniques, she helped athletes navigate pressure, overcome adversity and perform consistently in both practice and competition.
Her work played a key role in another historic season for the Sandy Panthers. Georgia State captured its fourth consecutive Sun Belt Conference Championship and fifth straight conference tournament title while earning the program's sixth NCAA Championship appearance as the No. 15 overall seed. The Panthers finished 4-1 in Sun Belt play before posting a perfect 4-0 record at the conference championship, improving to 16-0 all-time in Sun Belt Championship matches.
In addition to her mental performance responsibilities, Dorn served as the in-match coach for the No. 2 pair of Noalani Nuez and Adeline Thompson. The duo finished the season 12-10 overall while posting an undefeated conference record and went 3-0 during the Sun Belt Championship. Nuez and Thompson clinched the decisive point in Georgia State's semifinal victory over Coastal Carolina to send the Panthers to another conference championship match.
Dorn's appointment marks a homecoming for one of the most decorated student-athletes in program history. She concluded her playing career with 83 victories, ranking among the top five in Georgia State history for career wins.
She helped usher in one of the program's most successful eras, beginning with an impressive 19-12 freshman campaign in 2019 before posting a 12-2 record during the shortened 2020 season. In 2021, Dorn compiled an 18-11 record while earning CCSA All-Academic Team honors.
During Georgia State's historic 2022 campaign, Dorn primarily competed alongside Elise Saga at the No. 1 flight, collecting 18 victories, including wins over nationally ranked LSU and Tulane. She helped lead the Panthers to the Conference USA Championship and the NCAA Championship Round of Six, highlighted by the program's landmark victory over No. 2 seed TCU. Georgia State finished the season ranked No. 7 in the AVCA Poll, the highest final national ranking in school history for any Division I athletic program.
The following season, Dorn and Saga earned Sun Belt Conference Championship Pair of the Tournament honors after leading Georgia State to the inaugural Sun Belt beach volleyball title. The pair recorded victories over five nationally ranked opponents as the Panthers maintained a top-14 national ranking throughout the season and secured a second consecutive NCAA Championship appearance.
Dorn also excelled in the classroom throughout her collegiate career, earning CSC Academic All-District honors, multiple selections to the President's List and Dean's List, and repeated recognition on the CCSA All-Academic Team.
A native of Dallas, Texas, Dorn attended Byron Nelson High School, where she lettered in cross country and track and field while earning Academic All-District honors. She also competed for 692 Beach Dallas, winning the 2017 ROX Beach National Championship and the 2016 USA Volleyball National Championship.
Dorn earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with a concentration in pre-med from Georgia State in 2022. She went on to earn a master's degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Kentucky in 2025.
