Dave Thorn enters his ninth season as head coach of The University of Texas-Pan American women's volleyball program.
Since taking over the programs nine years ago, Thorn has helped the Lady Broncs achieve success never experienced by the volleyball program prior to his arrival. During his tenure at the helm, the Lady Broncs have been one of the productive and successful Independent programs in the country.
The Lady Broncs have produced 24 players that have earned All-Independent honors - the most by any Independent institution - including three Independent Offensive Player of the Year awards, two Defensive Player of the Year laurels, two Newcomer of the Year honors and one Coach of the Year accolade during his tenure.
During the 2005 season, Thorn recorded his 100th career victory as head coach when the Lady Broncs won a five-set marathon with North Dakota State in Fargo, ND. For this achievement, Thorn was recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches' Association and USA Volleyball.
That feat is even more noteworthy considering the Lady Broncs play one of the most challenging and competitive schedules in the nation. With every passing season, UTPA has made its mark as one of the toughest Independent programs in the country and continues to prove that the Lady Broncs can compete against the cream of the crop in collegiate volleyball.
Many can consider the 2005 campaign a rebuilding season for the Lady Broncs as they inserted three freshmen into the starting rotation paired with two of the best players in program history. It took some time for the dynamic between the newcomers and veterans to mesh, but the Lady Broncs still managed to produce a 10-19 season, including a 6-3 mark at the UTPA Fieldhouse.
Two of his finest all-around recruits Stephanie Redd and Danielle Holthe both left their legacy with the Lady Broncs following the conclusion of the season. Redd became the first player in program history to record to record 2,500 total attacks, 800 kills, 200 blocks and 90 service aces in her career. Holthe became the program's all-time leader in block assists and ranked second in total blocks while earning her first All-Independent post-season honor.
The new class of Lady Broncs made a big impact in Thorn's first season in Kellie Phillips, Chelsea Blakely and Deanna Schneyer. Phillips became one of the top offensive threats in the Independent ranks, earning a second team All-Independent selection at the end of the season. Blakely became the Lady Broncs' starter midway through the season and produced one of the most productive seasons as a setter in program history. Schneyer led the Lady Broncs in total blocks last season despite playing behind Redd and Holthe - two of the program's top middle blockers.
Despite ending the 2004 season with a 10-23 record, the Lady Broncs had plenty to celebrate including sophomore Carol Marcengo stamping herself as one of the top defensive specialists in the nation, finishing 10th in digs per game among all NCAA Division I players. She was named Independent Defensive Player of the Year and first team All-Independent for the second time in her two-year career. Also, the Lady Broncs had a pair of players - Heather Bravo and Winker Cruz - earn second team All-Independent honors.
The Lady Broncs started the season with a 3-1, finishing as runner-ups to the University of Oklahoma in a five-set marathon in the McAllen Holiday Inn UTPA Invitational at the UTPA Fieldhouse over Labor Day weekend. At their home tournament, UTPA recorded straight set victories over Louisiana at Monroe, Grambling State and Providence.
The Lady Broncs had three players earn all-tournament honors with Marcengo landing Libero of the Tournament honors while Heather Bravo and Stephanie Redd were also awarded for their efforts.
During his tenure, Thorn has watched as many of his recruits have turned into some of the top players in program history. That tradition continued at the end of last season as Cruz and Cathi Netemeyer both found themselves ranked in the top ten in six statistical categories and five current Lady Broncs are currently list in the program's record books.
In 2003, the Lady Broncs nearly missed out on winning 20 matches for the first time in program history, racking up 19 victories for the season. It was the first time since 2000 that UTPA has recorded 19 wins and only the third time in program history. Even though UTPA put a team on the floor that featured only one senior, the Lady Broncs came away with some tremendous triumphs, defeating UTEP for the first time in program history along with sweeps of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Prairie View A&M and Grambling State.
That season, Thorn saw one of his prized recruits - Jaclyn Muszynski - become the program's all-time leader in games played, kills, total attacks and digs. A four-time All-Independent award winner, Muszynski became the first volleyball player to be named UTPA Female Student-Athlete of the Year twice. It's these types of players that have helped Thorn build a strong foundation for the future and establish a winning record, both on and off the court.
Thorn also recruited Marcengo, who became one of the top liberos in the country in her first season, as the Brazil native finished eighth among all NCAA Division I players in digs per game. She captured Independent Libero of the Year honors as well as earning spots on the All-Independent Freshman team and second team All-Independent squad.
Thorn coached one of his youngest teams during the 2002 season with three freshmen and one sophomore playing significant time in the starting rotation. Even with a young team, the Lady Broncs came away with 16 victories, including an unbeatable month of October where UTPA recorded a perfect 8-0 record. Cruz capped off her junior campaign by winning Independent Offensive Player of the Year honors while Netemeyer was selected as the Independent Newcomer of the Year.
During the 2001 season, Thorn's team recorded 15 victories, winning their last nine matches of the season. The Lady Broncs ran the table at the end of the season National Independent Tournament where they defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi three times en route to winning their first-ever Independent crown. That season, Muszynski became the first player in program history to be named Independent Offensive Player of the Year.
Thorn received his first piece of recognition when he was honored with the Independent Coach of the Year award after leading the Lady Broncs to a 19-win season in 2000. It was the first time since the 1996 season that UTPA accumulated 19 wins in a season. Thorn saw his squad's win total increase by 11 victories from the previous season, and similar to all of his teams, the Lady Broncs peaked at the end of the season winning eight of their final ten games.
That season, Muszynski became the first freshman in program history to be selected as a first team All-Independent award winner, and Mindy Hubik became the program's first Independent Newcomer of the Year recipient. Lorena Lopez and Debbie Puente each earned second team All-Independent accolades.
Thorn served as the graduate assistant and interim head coach before being promoted to head coach at UTPA in April of 1998. When he was a graduate assistant, the Lady Broncs qualified for the Sun Belt Tournament for the first time in school history, falling to Western Kentucky in the first round.
After being promoted to head coach, Thorn began to build the foundation for the program during his first two seasons where the Lady Broncs won eight matches in both of those years. Despite the win-total, the Lady Broncs found themselves in good hands as the program would reach heights never achieved before during the coming years.
All of the players that come through the UTPA volleyball program all have one thing in common - not only are they tremendous talents on the court, but they are also tremendous minds in the classroom. Over the last five years, 67 student-athletes have been named to the Bronc Pride 3.0 Club; 31 student-athletes have earned Dean's List First and Second Honors; and 22 student-athletes have been selected to the UTPA Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
During that span, 13 student-athletes have been named to United States Achievement Academy All-American Scholars and eight student-athletes have been selected Academic All-Independent award winners.
The all-around experience of UTPA women's volleyball would not be complete if not for the community service and civic duties that Thorn stresses upon his student-athletes. During his tenure as head coach, the Lady Broncs have participated in the Adopt-A-Beach Program, Adopt-A-School Program, Edinburg All-American City 5K Fun Run, Habitat for Humanity and the Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort to name a few services.
Through these services, Thorn has put an emphasis on making an impact not only on the court and in the classroom, but also in the community that supports his Lady Broncs' program.
A native of Spokane, WA, Thorn attended Whitman College where he played club volleyball during his collegiate days and began his coaching career at DeSales Junior High School during his junior year. As a senior, Thorn became a student-assistant coach at his alma mater while continuing his coaching duties at Desales Junior High School.
Following graduation, Thorn became the head girls' volleyball coach at Riverside High School where he guided his squad to the playoffs in both seasons and appeared in their first district match in 10 seasons. A year later, Thorn went to Whitworth College where he began his collegiate duties as an assistant coach for the Pirates.
Over the next two seasons, Thorn coached the Northeast Juniors Volleyball Club where he guided his junior team to several tournament championships, including the 1995 18-and under regional crown. He also watched as his 16-and under team finished second in the region during the 1994 in his first season with the squad.
During his coaching years, Thorn was still active in club volleyball where he competed in tournaments in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Canada at the A and AA levels.
The UTPA head coach is an active member of the American Volleyball Coaches' Association as well as USA Volleyball. He graduated from Whitman College in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in match then earned his master's degree in kinesiology from UTPA in 1998.
Thorn and his wife, Beatriz, have a daughter, Sara (three). The family resides in McAllen.
