Marquette University Women's Volleyball

Theis was named the fifth head women's volleyball coach in Marquette University history on Feb. 14, 2014. The first year was a success under Theis' tenure as Marquette earned its fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a 24-9 overall record and 14-4 mark in the BIG EAST. Autumn Bailey, Lindsey Gosh and Meghan Niemann were selected to the BIG EAST All-Conference first team, while Bailey was named the Player of the Year. Bailey and Gosh also earned AVCA All-East Region honors. Theis' second year on campus was also a success, as his Marquette squad finished the regular season with a 22-12 record overall and a 12-6 mark in the BIG EAST. Following the strong regular season showing, MU made its fifth-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Behind Theis, the Golden Eagles advanced to the tournament's second round after defeating UNI in opening round play. Taylor Louis and Meghan Niemann were recognized with BIG EAST All-Conference honors, and Louis was named an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, becoming MU's 13th All-American. Theis (pronounced: TICE), a 2000 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduate, returned to Milwaukee after a six-year tenure at Ohio University, where he led the squad to a record of 144-54 (.727). That mark places him third in the history of the Mid-American Conference and 18th among all active NCAA Division I head coaches. Under his leadership, the Bobcats made four NCAA Championship appearances, including a pair of trips to the second round (2009 and 2010), and claimed four MAC tournament championships. Both NCAA second round defeats came at the hands of seeded-hosts in pivotal fifth sets. A two-time MAC Coach of the Year (2009 and 2013), Theis mentored three AVCA All-Americans during his tenure in Athens and helped 13 players earn all-conference accolades, including three conference player of the year selections. Theis, a native of Madison, Wis., leaves Ohio tied with current Ohio State head coach Geoff Carlston, whom he replaced in 2008, for the most victories in Bobcats' history with 144. He compiled a 79-17 (.823) record in league action at Ohio while winning three regular season league titles (six East Division championships) and was a combined 28-4 over his final two conference campaigns. His 2013 team, which featured AVCA All-Americans Abby Gilleland and Kelly Lamberti, finished 27-6 overall, swept No. 8 Oregon and No. 21 Western Kentucky, and climbed as high as 18th in the AVCA Coaches' Poll. The Bobcats also ranked 23rd nationally in attendance in 2013 as an average of 1,719 fans packed the Convocation Center. Theis also placed a great deal of emphasis on his student-athletes' success in the classroom as his squad's collective grade point average never dipped below a 3.28 during his final five years at Ohio and multiple players earned Academic All-MAC honors each season. The team also achieved a top-10 APR score during the first four years of Theis' tenure and earned multiple AVCA Team Academic Awards. Prior to his arrival in Athens, Theis accumulated eight years of NCAA Division I coaching experience at various stops. 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 at the University of Florida (2006-07) as offensive and recruiting coordinators. During his two seasons in Gainesville the Gators compiled an overall record of 59-6 (38-2 Southeastern Conference), won a pair of conference titles and advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals. 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. He also helped teams at each of his previous assistant coaching stops - Northwestern, Indiana and Eastern Illinois - to NCAA tournament appearances. Theis began his collegiate playing career at 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. In 1999-00, he also worked as a student assistant for the women's scholarship team while earning his bachelor's degree in kinesiology. Theis and his wife, Jenny, have three sons, Carter, Caleb and Colby.