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It didn't take long for Ryan Theis to make an impact on the Ohio University volleyball program, capturing a Mid-American Conference Tournament title and leading the Bobcats to an NCAA Championship appearance in his first season on the bench. Named the 11th head coach in program history on March 17, 2008, Theis immediately translated his reputation as both a superior tactician and one of the nation's premier recruiters into positive results. The 2008 campaign saw him become just the fourth head coach in school history to post a winning first-year record after guiding the Bobcats to a 24-8 mark, while also becoming only the second coach to win the MAC Tournament and take Ohio to the NCAA Championship in his initial season. In addition to the team success that Ohio achieved under Theis' direction in 2008, the Bobcats also garnered a host of individual awards during his first season with the Green & White. Junior outside hitter Ellen Herman turned in one of the most decorated single seasons in program history in her first year under his tutelage, capturing AVCA All-America and All-Mideast Region honors, as well as MAC Player of the Year, MAC Tournament MVP and first-team All-MAC accolades. Junior middle blockers Meghan Simons and Jane Sytsma and sophomore setter Michelle Jantsch also collected all-conference recognition. Not content to measure the success of his program solely by its on-court accomplishments, Theis has also made academic achievement a priority for the Ohio volleyball team. In 2008, the Bobcats placed a program-record and league-high four student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC team, as Herman, Jantsch, Simons and Sytsma all earned the distinction. The Madison, Wis., native has also committed the Ohio volleyball program to play an active role in the Athens community. In addition to holding youth clinics at the Athens Community Center and sponsoring a local youth baseball team, the team also participates in the Little Bobcat Club during the season as a means of giving area youth an opportunity to interact with Ohio players and enhance their volleyball skills. The Bobcats also joined in the fight against breast cancer during the 2008 campaign, donating $3,000 to the Side-Out Foundation after nearly 2,000 fans packed The Convo for Ohio's thrilling five-set victory over Miami on Dig Pink Night in early November. Prior to his arrival in Athens, Theis accumulated eight years of Division I women's volleyball coaching experience and more than a dozen seasons of overall coaching expertise. In addition to his coaching duties, he spent six of those years in the role of recruiting coordinator at three different institutions. Theis spent 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. 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 featured 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. 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 have a son, Carter.
Theis At A Glance
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Individual Bobcat Honors Under Ryan Theis
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