Virginia Commonwealth University Women's Volleyball

Tim Doyle, one of the architects of VCU Volleyball’s recent historic run atop the Atlantic 10 Conference, returned to lead the Rams in 2023 and wasted little time making his mark.     “Tim distinguished himself throughout the process with his passion and knowledge of VCU, along with his dedication to developing the young women who play under his tutelage,” said VCU Vice President and Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin. “He played a key role in the most successful period in our program's history, so he knows what it takes to lead VCU Volleyball to win championships and advance to the NCAA Tournament. We welcome Tim back home and look forward to a bright future as he develops our student-athletes into champions." Doyle has quickly returned VCU to the upper echelon of the A-10. In two seasons, he's led the Rams to a 35-22 record, including a gaudy 29-7 in league play. His 2024 club set a program record with 16 conference victories and finished the regular season on a 14-match winning streak. His VCU winning percentage (.614) currently ranks second all-time in program history. In his two seasons back in the black and gold, VCU players have captured seven All-Atlantic 10 Conference awards, including Jasmine Knight, who collected a pair of First Team honors, and was named AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention. But Doyle's impact on VCU's student-athletes has hardly been limited to the floor. In the spring of 2025, the Rams posted a team GPA of 3.86, the highest in program history.  “VCU holds a special place in my heart", Doyle said in 2023. "And it’s an honor to return as head coach to lead the volleyball program’s next evolution. VCU belongs in the conversation as one of the preeminent mid-major institutions in the country, and our mission is simple: Build a nationally recognized, top-25 caliber program that also does it the right way. We’ll be known for talented student-athletes who play their hearts out for each other, coaches and staff who empower those student-athletes and keep them as their No. 1 priority in all things, and a way of life where our people work hard, do the right thing, and treat people the right way. I’m thrilled to be back home.”   Doyle, who led the William & Mary program from 2017-22, is the 10th head coach in VCU history. His efforts in Williamsburg sparked a revival in the Tribe’s volleyball program.   In 2022, Doyle steered William & Mary to its most wins (12) since 2012. The Tribe also recorded its most Colonial Athletic Association victories since the 2013 campaign, and advanced to the league championship semifinals for the first time since 2009. Under his watch, William & Mary players earned seven All-CAA awards, including two First Team citations by standout middle blocker Julia Brown.   Doyle served as VCU assistant coach from 2014-17 and helped transform the Rams into one of the premier teams in the A-10, as well as a top-50 program nationally.   During his stint on the Rams staff, VCU complied an 80-47 (.630) mark and qualified for the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament each season. He was a driving force behind the Rams’ historic 2017 season, when VCU recorded 30 wins (30-3), fashioned the longest win streak in the nation (27 consecutive matches), collected its first A-10 regular season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.   Due in large part to the foundation Doyle helped construct, VCU also captured A-10 regular season titles in 2018 and 2019. The 2019 squad earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament at-large berth. Doyle helped shape the career of two AVCA All-Region picks at VCU. He also helped recruit and developed eventual AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selection Jasmine Sneed. During his VCU tenure, the Rams collected an A-10 Defensive Player of the Year honor, as well as eight all-conference honorees, and six all-rookie picks. Doyle saw two players sign professional contracts following graduation. In 2017, Doyle was selected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Thirty Under 30 list.    Prior to his first stint in Richmond, Doyle spent two years at his alma mater working with the Ohio State men’s volleyball team. As the volunteer assistant coach, he specialized in using video and statistical data to construct the Buckeyes' scouting reports. Working under coach Pete Hanson, Doyle helped the Buckeyes to a 19-8 mark in 2013.   The Ohio native also served as the head coach of the Buckeye Valley High School girl’s volleyball program in 2013, where he led the team to the district semifinals. At the club level, he guided the Vanguard Volleyball Club's 16U Boy’s Regional squad to a gold bracket qualification in all five entered tournaments from September 2011 to February 2012.   Doyle graduated magna cum laude from Ohio State in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Leadership and Sport Humanities. He added a Master's in Workforce Development and Education from OSU in 2012.  

Ceci Blanchard returned to her alma mater and joined Tim Doyle’s staff as an assistant coach in January of 2023. Her arrival has helped lead the Rams back to the top tier of the Atlantic 10 Conference.  In addition to back-to-back winning seasons, VCU has forged an impressive 29-7 record in league play since the start of the 2023 campaign. VCU's 2024 squad won its final 14 A-10 matches on the way to a school-record 16-2 conference mark. Since 2023, VCU players have captured seven All-Atlantic 10 Conference awards, including Jasmine Knight, who collected a pair of First Team honors, and was named AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention.  VCU's success on the court notwithstanding, the Rams also recorded a 3.86 GPA during the 2025 Spring semester, the highest in program history.    Prior to her return to Richmond, Blanchard (nee Aragao) spent the 2022 campaign as an assistant coach at Buffalo, where she helped the Bulls to a 19-win season and the first MAC semifinal appearance in program history. UB also received a bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), the school's first postseason berth. Working closely with Buffalo's setters, Blanchard helped spur the development of First Team All-MAC selection Mandy Leigh. She also spearheaded the Bulls' international recruiting efforts, which produced several signings during her season on staff.    Previously, Blanchard served as a graduate assistant for VCU during the 2021 season and aided an 18-win campaign. Her efforts with setter Katrina Davis helped the freshman garner an All-Atlantic 10 Conference Second Team honor in her first collegiate season. That year, Blanchard also was named a recipient of the AVCA’s Diversity Award.   A native of Recife, Brazil, Blanchard played professionally in the First League of Slovenia, France and Switzerland. She led Calcit Kamnik (Slovenia) to its first CEV Champions League appearance in 2015 and was named the top setter of the Slovenian Cup.    A four-year starter at setter, Blanchard ranks third all-time at VCU in assists (3,932), fourth in assists per set (9.71) and seventh in blocks (370). Blanchard was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference and VaSID All-State Second Team in 2014 after she averaged 9.83 assists and 0.88 blocks per set. As a freshman, she helped steer the Rams to the CAA Championship Match, and was named to the league’s All-Tournament and All-Rookie Teams, as well as VaSID All-State Second Team. The Rams posted an 85-44 record during her career.   Blanchard earned her Bachelor of Science in Health Education from VCU in 2015. She is married to former VCU Baseball standout pitcher Matt Blanchard, who helped the Rams to a 2015 NCAA Regional Championship and Atlantic 10 Conference title.

Evan Nicely serves as the Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs assisting in oversight of the department's external units including marketing, communications, video broadcasting, ticketing operations, corporate partnerships and creative services. He also serves on the Senior Athletic Leadership Team and is the secondary administrator for the women's basketball program. At VCU, Nicely previously served as the Assistant AD for Creative Services, Director of Athletic Communications and Assistant Director of Athletic Communications. Prior to VCU, Nicely worked at Virginia Tech where he served as a contact for the football program in addition to being the primary media relations contact for men’s soccer, women's lacrosse and men’s and women’s swimming and diving. He also was the secondary contact for women’s basketball. He was the host media contact for the Hokies' women’s soccer team during the 2015 NCAA Tournament and was the primary contact for the 2016 ACC Women’s Lacrosse Tournament. While at Virginia Tech, he also served as the public address announcer for the Hokies' softball program as well as assisting with lacrosse, men's soccer and volleyball. Prior to Virginia Tech, Nicely worked in the athletics communications office at Division II Newberry College in Newberry, S.C., helping with all 17 varsity teams. He oversaw the media relations efforts for women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country and lacrosse programs. He also assisted with the football program and served as a play-by-play voice for the Wolves for multiple sports including men's and women's basketball, softball and volleyball. Nicely has also worked numerous national ESPN broadcasts as well as national and regional broadcasts for NBC Sports, Comcast and Fox Sports. As an undergrad at JMU, he was as an assistant in the athletics communications office and served as a color commentator and pre-game show anchor for MadiZone Sports Network, the school’s multimedia sports network, for men’s and women’s basketball as well as softball. Nicely also served as a sports staff reporter for the school’s award-winning newspaper, The Breeze. Nicely graduated cum laude from James Madison University with a bachelor's degree in Corporate Communications from JMU's School of Media Arts and Design. He graduated with a Master of Sport Leadership degree from VCU's Center for Sport Leadership. A native of Vinton, Virginia, he currently resides in Richmond.