March 17, 2008

Watch Video of Press Conference

ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt announced Monday morning that Ryan Theis will become the next Ohio Volleyball Head Coach. Theis comes to Ohio with a high-powered offensive attack and a reputation as an excellent recruiter.

"I'm very honored to be a part of Ohio University," said Theis. "I have a great deal of respect for this program and all of its accomplishments. Coach (Geoff) Carlston has put together a great team and I plan to continue the winning tradition and build it to new heights."

Theis joins Ohio with eight years of NCAA Division I women's volleyball coaching experience and over 12 years of coaching expertise. The Madison, Wis., native spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at the University of Florida, where he was instrumental in bringing in several top recruiting classes and constructing one of the nation's top offensive attacks. During his two years at Florida, the Gators compiled a record of 59-6 (38-2 Southeastern Conference), won two SEC Championships and advanced to two NCAA Championship Sweet 16s.

"We look forward to Ryan leading our volleyball program and continuing our very proud tradition," said Hocutt. "His core values are consistent with the department's mission of academic and athletic excellence and, therefore, he is the right person to continue Ohio's championship tradition."

Theis' first recruiting class at Florida in 2007 was ranked among the top 10 in the country and included two high school recruits rated in the top 30 in the nation. He continued to live up to his billing as a top-notch recruiter this past season, as the Gators signed what some are considering the top class in the country, which includes four student-athletes ranked among the top 30 nationally.

"Ohio University has made an excellent choice in Ryan," said Florida Head Coach Mary Wise. "Our program is better today because of Ryan Theis. The Bobcats will soon learn what we have - Ryan has the skill set to be one of the premier young head coaches in the country."

While at Florida, Theis was also in charge of the Gators' offensive attack, where over the last two seasons, the Gators have ranked among the nation's best in hitting percentage and have broken several school records in kills. Under Theis' tutelage, Florida ranked in the top five in Division I in hitting percentage over the last two seasons. Theis also helped Florida set new records for kills, establishing a new mark for average kills per game in 2006 with 16.94 and then eclipsing that mark with an average of 17.49 kills per game last season.

Theis also had great success at the three schools he coached prior to Florida. Before coming to Florida, he coached at Northwestern, Indiana and Eastern Illinois, where he helped lead each school to the NCAA Tournament.

At Northwestern, Theis was an assistant coach for two seasons, where he helped guide the Wildcats to one the most successful seasons in school history in 2005. Northwestern was just 10-20 in 2004, but finished 20-12 in 2005 and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where Theis and the Wildcats advanced to the second round.

Prior to his coaching stint at Northwestern, Theis was an assistant coach at another Big Ten institution, Indiana University, from 2002-03. Theis' responsibilities at IU included scouting and game-plan coordination, along with setting up camps and assisting with player development. In 2002, the Hoosiers advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Before coaching at IU, Theis was the top assistant at Eastern Illinois from 2000-02, where in his final season, he helped lead the team to the Ohio Valley Conference Championship, earning the program its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. Theis also served as the recruiting coordinator at Eastern Illinois.    

In each situation, Theis' programs have also shown a strong connection with the local community. At Florida, each year the team visited local pediatrics wards on Thanksgiving weekend and also assisted in fundraising for girls from broken homes. While at Northwestern, his student-athletes participated in the Relay for Life Walk-a-thon, helping raise thousands of dollars for cancer research. It was also customary before Northwestern home matches for players and coaches to invite small groups of area girls to come ask questions and get to know the team.  

Theis is focused on having a team that not only competes on the court, but also in the classroom. This past season, Florida had a student-athlete earn Second Team Academic All-America honors and three others named Second Team Academic All-District III. In 2006, Florida received the AVCA Team Academic Award, which is given to teams with a grade point average above 3.3, along with a program-record 11 student-athletes selected to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

"I'd personally like to thank Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt and Senior Associate Athletic Director Amy Dean for their efforts in this process," Theis said. "They have made a first-class effort in providing a smooth transition for my wife Jenny and brand new baby boy Carter."

Theis began his collegiate volleyball career as a player at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1996, before the program was discontinued the following season. He then became the head coach and played for the UW-Milwaukee club team from 1997-2000, where he was twice selected All-Midwest 10 as a setter and a three-time team captain. Theis earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology at UW-Milwaukee in 2000 and his master's degree in athletic administration/sport management from Eastern Illinois in 2002.

---OhioBobcats.com---