With a reputation as both one of the nation's premier recruiters and a superior tactician, Ryan Theis was named the 11th head volleyball coach in Ohio University history on March 17, 2008.

The Madison, Wis., native brings eight years of Division I women's volleyball coaching experience and more than a dozen seasons of overall coaching expertise to the Bobcat sidelines. In addition to his coaching duties, he spent six of those years in the role of recruiting coordinator at three different schools.

Theis spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at the University of Florida, where he left an indelible mark on one of the most storied college women's volleyball programs of the last two decades. During his two years in Gainesville, the Gators compiled a record of 59-6 (38-2 Southeastern Conference), won two SEC titles and advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals twice.

Already known for its high-powered attack, UF took its offensive game to another level with Theis on the bench. The Gators broke the school record for kills per game in each of his two seasons on staff, recording an average of 16.94 in 2006 and shattering that mark with a clip of 17.49 the following year. Florida ranked among the nation's top five teams in hitting percentage in both of Theis' years with the program, while the Orange and Blue also led the SEC in kills per game, hitting percentage and assists per game in both campaigns.

In his time at UF, Theis also continued to cultivate his reputation as a top-notch recruiter. His first recruiting class at Florida, which comprised the Gators' freshman class in 2007, included two of the nation's top 30 high school players and rated among the 10 best classes in the country. Theis was also critical in the signing of the Gators' 2008 class, which features four players in the national top 30, including the top overall recruit, and was named the nation's No. 1 class by PrepVolleyball.com.

No stranger to success in each of his four previous coaching stints, Theis brings a wealth of volleyball knowledge to the table. The evidence stems from the fact that at each of his prior coaching stops - Northwestern, Indiana and Eastern Illinois - Theis helped guide teams to NCAA Championship berths.

Theis was an assistant and handled recruiting duties at Northwestern for two seasons, helping guide the Wildcats to one of the most successful campaigns in school history in 2005. NU was just 10-20 in 2004, but finished 20-12 in 2005 and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, where Theis and the Wildcats advanced to the second round.

Before his two-year stay in Evanston, Theis was an assistant coach at Indiana University from 2002-03, where his primary duties included scouting and game plan coordination, in addition to running IU's camps and assisting in player development. The Hoosiers made the NCAA Championship in 2002 and finished just outside the top-25 in the AVCA poll. While in Bloomington, Theis also served as head coach of the Indiana men's club team.

Prior to arriving in the Big Ten, Theis was the top assistant at Eastern Illinois from 2000-01, where he also served as recruiting coordinator. In his final season, the Panthers won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament to earn the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Championship.

In addition to on-court success, Theis counts excellence in both the classroom and community as priorities of a successful program.

In 2007, Theis helped mentor Florida's Amber McCray to second-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors, while three other Gators received second-team Academic All-District III recognition. The previous season saw UF earn the AVCA Team Academic Award, as well as place a school-record 11 student-athletes on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Theis' teams have also shown a strong connection with the local community. At Florida, the squad visited local pediatrics wards during Thanksgiving week and assisted in fundraising for girls in broken homes. While at NU, his student-athletes participated in the Relay for Life Walk-a-thon, helping raise thousands of dollars for cancer research.

Theis began his collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1996, but the program was discontinued after the season. He then served as head coach while playing for the UW-Milwaukee club team from 1997-00, and was a two-time All-Midwest 10 selection as a setter and a three-time team captain. The UW-Milwaukee club team finished in the top-25 in three-consecutive seasons during Theis' tenure as coach. In 1999-00, he also worked as a student assistant for the women's scholarship team.

Theis earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology at UW-Milwaukee in 2000 and a master's degree in athletic administration/sport management from Eastern Illinois in 2002.

He is married to former University of Florida All-American and professional volleyball player Jenny Manz Theis. The couple celebrated the birth of their son, Carter, on March 8.

Theis At A Glance
Hometown: Madison, Wis.

Education:
B.S. Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2000
M.S. Athletic Administration/Sport Management, Eastern Illinois, 2002

Coaching Experience:
Head Coach, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's club, 1997-00
Assistant Coach, Eastern Illinois, 2000-01
Assistant Coach, Indiana University, 2002-03
Head Coach, Indiana University men's club, 2002-03
Assistant Coach, Northwestern University, 2004-05
Assistant Coach, University of Florida, 2006-Present

Playing Experience:
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1996
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee club, 1997-00 - Two-time All-Midwest 10, Three-time All-Conference, Three-time team captain

Family:
Wife: Jenny
Children (1): Carter