Division I Region Coaches of the Year
2009 AVCA Division I Region Coaches of the Year
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The following coaches have been selected by their region as the 2009 AVCA Division I Region Coach of the Year. Each of the honorees will represent their region on the 2009 AVCA National Coach of the Year ballot. The awards will be officially presented at the 2009 jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Dec. 17, at the 2009 American Volleyball Coaches Association Annual Convention.
AVCA Division I Central Region Coach of the Year
Christy Johnson, Iowa State University
2009 Record: 27-4, 17-3 Big 12 Conference
Christy Johnson, in her fifth year as head coach of the Iowa State University Cyclones, has guided her team to its best regular season in school history with a 27-4 overall record and a Big 12 record of 17-3, good for second-place in the conference standings. Setting school records for wins in a season in both overall and conference victories, Johnson has led Iowa State to its best national ranking in the program's history, coming in at No. 5 in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Johnson was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for her guidance in a season consisting of numerous record breakers and accomplishments for the Cyclones. Along with her Coach of the Year honors, six other players on Iowa State's team were awarded Big 12 awards including Libero of the Year. The Cyclones are set to play in the third round of the NCAA tournament against Nebraska this Friday, marking their third-straight Regional appearance. This is Johnson's first AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year award.
AVCA Division I East Region Coach of the Year
Chris Poole, Florida State University
2009 Record: 30-2, 19-1 Atlantic Coast Conference
In just his second season at the helm of Florida State University's volleyball program, Chris Poole's squad has already taken significant strides. The Seminoles captured their first ever outright ACC title in 2009, rolling through league play with a 19-1 record. For his efforts, Poole was named the ACC Coach of the Year. The Seminoles, coming in at No. 12 in the most recent AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll, were selected as the 2009 NCAA Tournament's No. 3 overall seed, and with an opening round win over Alabama A&M, Poole captured his 600th career victory. In addition, Poole and the Seminoles advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history and will take on Kentucky this in the Minneapolis Regional. This is Poole's first AVCA East Region Coach of the Year honor, however he also earned the 1997 Tachikara/AVCA District 4 Coach of the Year Award while the head coach at Arkansas.
AVCA Division I Mideast Region Coach of the Year
Russ Rose, Penn State University
2009 Record: 34-0, 20-0 Big Ten Conference
Russ Rose has done nothing but continue his success as Penn State University women's volleyball head coach in his 31st year with the program. After winning the Nittany Lions' seventh straight and 13th overall Big Ten title, Rose has been honored as the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season. Rose has guided the Nittany Lions to an undefeated 34-0 overall record and 20-0 mark in Big Ten action. Penn State will go into the third round of the NCAA tournament for the 21st time, facing Florida in the NCAA Regionals this Friday, with the squad riding a 98 match win-streak. Rose, who was elected to the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2007, has improved his career record to 993-159. He has also led his team to 27 conference titles, while gaining three national titles in 1999, 2007 and 2008. This is the third consecutive AVCA Division I Mideast Region Coach of the Year award for Rose and marks his fourth overall plaudit. He previously earned the honor in 1996, 2007 and 2008.
AVCA Division I Midwest Region Coach of the Year
Rick Nold, Jacksonville State University
2009 Record: 27-8, 17-1 Ohio Valley Conference
Rick Nold has led Jacksonville State University to a 27-8 overall record in 2009, along with a nearly perfect Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) record of 17-1. Nold led the Gamecocks to a storybook season that resulted in the program's fourth OVC championship in the past five years after being ranked sixth in the OVC's preseason poll, resulting in OVC Coach of the Year honors for Nold. Earning their third trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last five seasons, the Gamecocks, led by Nold, captured their first-ever NCAA Tournament win, a victory over Florida A&M, making it to the tournament's second round. This marks the first Midwest Region Coach of the Year award for Nold.
AVCA Division I Northeast Region Coach of the Year
Debbie Brown, University of Notre Dame
2009 Record: 21-7, 15-0 BIG EAST Conference
Veteran mentor Debbie Brown had the University of Notre Dame back of the map in 2009, as the Fighting Irish landed a spot in the NCAA Tournament and ranked as high as No. 23 on the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Notre Dame finished the year with a 21-7 overall record after going 15-0 in BIG EAST regular-season play. The Irish secured the program's 19th winning season, each of which have been under the direction of Brown, and earned an 11th BIG EAST regular season championship. The team's 15-match winning streak earlier this season tied for the second-longest in program history. For her efforts, Brown was lauded as the 2009 BIG EAST Coach of the Year. This marks Brown's third AVCA Region Coach of the Year award, also earning the distinction in 1997 and 2005.
AVCA Division I Pacific Region Coach of the Year
Rob Browning, Saint Mary's College
2009 Record: 23-5, 13-1 West Coast Conference
Rob Browning, in his sixth year as head coach of the Saint Mary's College volleyball program, has continued to keep the Gaels on the national scene. Under Browning's guidance, Saint Mary's turned in its second-best record in program history (23-5) in 2009 and captured its first-ever West Coast Conference (WCC) Championship with a 13-1 league record. Named the 2009 WCC Coach of the Year, Browning's Gaels made their fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament where they eventually succumbed to Stanford in a 3-2 heartbeaker in the second round. Browning, whose team is currently holding down the No. 21 spot in the most recent AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll, earns his first AVCA Pacific Region Coach of the Year award.
AVCA Division I South Region Coach of the Year
Fran Flory, Louisiana State University
2009 Record: 25-7, 18-2 Southeastern Conference
In her 12th year as the taskmaster at Louisiana State University, Fran Flory has led the Tigers to a successful season with an overall record of 25-7 and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) mark of 18-2. Flory guided LSU to their first SEC title since 1991 when the team advanced to the national semifinals. The SEC regular-season championship earned the Tigers an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament where they ended their season in the second round. Flory was named SEC Coach of the Year after helping her team advance to great lengths throughout the season. Along with the coach of the year honors, Flory helped pace the conference with three LSU players notching ALL SEC First-Team accolades. This is the first AVCA Division I South Region Coach of the Year nod for Flory.
AVCA Division I West Region Coach of the Year
Dave Shoji, University of Hawai'i
2009 Record: 30-2, 16-0 Western Athletic Conference
Now in his 35th season, head coach Dave Shoji and his University of Hawai'i team have continued building their legacy in the volleyball world in 2009. Shoji, who picked up milestone win No. 1,000 on Oct. 17, has coached the Rainbow Wahine to their 28th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, and the squad will be making its 25th regional appearance Friday when it faces off against Illinois in the Stanford Regional. The Rainbow Wahine plowed through the season with a 30-2 overall record, captured their 10th straight Western Athletic Conference (WAC) tournament title, secured their 14th consecutive WAC regular-season title with a perfect 16-0 league mark and are currently riding a 26-match win-streak. Dubbed the WAC's Coach of the Year, Shoji picks up his fourth AVCA West Region Coach of the Year honor (2003, 2004, 2005, 2009).
