Sarah Carthel is entering her fifth season as an assistant coach for the A&M-Commerce volleyball program. After the 2017 season, she was promoted to Associate Head Coach.
The 2017 season was one of the best seasons in Lion volleyball history. The Lions improved their win total for a third consecutive season and finished with a perfect 11-0 record in the Field House. The team finished 21-12 overall, securing second place in the Lone Star Conference. The Lions would advance to the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament, the first time the team advanced to the NCAA Tournament since 1988. Jaslyn Wacker was named Second Team All-American by the D2CCA while Shelley Chapron was named an Honorable Mention All-American by the AVCA. Chapron was named LSC Newcomer of the Year and Wacker was named the program's first Academic All-American as well as the first LSC Academic Player of the Year. Five players were named to the All-Conference team while two were named Academic All-Conference. The Lions advanced to the second round of the LSC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, falling in the first round to Metro State in five sets.
During the 2016 season, the Lions improved their win total for the second consecutive year. They went 19-13 and were regionally ranked for the first time under head coach Craig Case. Ashley Mireles was named Libero of the Year, leading the conference with 618 digs. Mireles was also named First Team All-LSC. Taryn Driver was named Second Team All-LSC for the second time and Jaslyn Wacker was named an All-LSC Honorable Mention and was named to the LSC All-Academic Team. The Lions lost in the first round of the LSC Tournament.
In the 2015 campaign, the Lions went 15-14 with numerous postseason accolades. Taryn Driver, Veronika Baric, and Jaslyn Wacker were named all-Lone Star Conference second team with Courtney Tate and Summer Alford earning LSC Honorable Mention. Driver was also named to the LSC All-Academic Team.
In 2014, three Lions earned all-conference accolades. Amy Davault was a First-Team All LSC performer and a AVCA All-South Central Region Honorable mention performer. Davault eclipsed both the 1,000 kill and 1,000 dig milestone. Freshman setter Courtney Tate was All-Lone Star Conference Honorable Mention and Taryn Driver was an All-Academic Lone Star Conference performer.
Carthel has brought with her a stellar resume as both a player and as one of the top assistant coaches and recruiters in the nation. She spent seven seasons as an assistant at West Texas A&M, helping lead her alma mater to impressive heights. During her stint in Canyon, the Lady Buffs won over 86 percent of their matches,  posting a 237-38 record with six 30-win seasons.
With Carthel serving as a major contributor on the staff, West Texas A&M won the Lone Star Conference championship each season to go along with five NCAA regional titles and a national runner-up showing in 2009.
As a player, Carthel enjoyed one of the most outstanding careers in NCAA Division II volleyball history as a student-athlete for West Texas A&M from 1997-1999.
As a freshman, the Amarillo, Texas native earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors while at the University of Texas. She then returned to the Texas Panhandle to lead WTAMU to a NCAA Division II national title as a sophomore in 1997.
Carthel was a two-time NCAA Division II Player of the Year for the Lady Buffs, earning the honor as a sophomore in 1997 and as a senior in 1999. A three-time American Volleyball Coaches' Association all-American selection, Carthel was also a two-time academic all-American pick. She was a three-time all-Region selection and Honda Award finalist for the top NCAA Division II Female Athlete in both 1997 and 1999.
After graduating from WTAMU in 2000, Carthel was a graduate assistant at Metropolitan State University in Denver, Colo., while she played for the United States National team.
She played professionally for the St. Louis Quest in the United States Professional Volleyball League, as well as also playing three seasons in a professional league in Puerto Rico (during the off-season). She also served on the coaching staff at Abilene Christian University from 2002-05.
In August 2005, she was voted to the NCAA Division II All-Time Volleyball team, one of only six players to earn the honor. Carthel was inducted into the WTAMU Hall of Champions in 2007 and in the summer of 2008 she was selected for induction into the Lone Star Conference's Hall of Honor.
She was inducted into the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
The former Sarah Butler, she is married to A&M-Commerce head football coach Colby Carthel. The couple has two sons, Major and Bear.
