After leading the University of San Diego to their most successful women’s volleyball season ever, head coach Jennifer Petrie has been named national Coach of the Year.
The American Volleyball Coaches Association made the announcement last week, shortly before eventual champion No. 1 Texas eliminated No. 2 USD in a NCAA Volleyball championship semifinal in Omaha, Neb.
It’s Petrie’s first such national honor, and it comes after she was named both the AVCA Pacific South Region Coach of the Year, and the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year.
Under Petrie’s direction in 2022, the Toreros compiled a 31-1 record, including a perfect 18-0 mark in WCC play for just the third time ever.
USD set a school record with 28 wins, good for the best overall winning percentage (.967) and longest active win streak (28 matches) in the country until Thursday.
After beginning the season at No. 25 in the AVCA Division I Women’s Coaches Poll, her team moved up or maintained position in every poll until Nov. 28.
The Toreros tied a program-high No. 2 national ranking on Oct. 31 and held strong there for four straight weeks.
USD swept 20 of 32 matches during the season, including 13 of 18 WCC contests, and through Thursday had gone 8-1 against AVCA Top 25 teams and 3-1 against the AVCA Top 10.
USD, to begin postseason play, beat Northern Colorado and No. 24 Washington State in the to advance to its fifth Regional Semifinal. The team swept No. 15 Kentucky in the Sweet 16, moving to its first Elite Eight appearance in program history.
The Toreros then dispatched Stanford, to make it to USD’s first Final Four, before falling to Texas on Thursday.
In addition to the Toreros’ team success, Petrie’s mentorship also helped her charges take home several conference, regional and national awards.
Gabby Blossom was named an AVCA First Team All-American and AVCA Pacific South Region Player of the Year while Grace Frohling received AVCA Second Team All-American honors. Blossom, Frohling and Katie Lukes made the AVCA Pacific South All-Region Team.
Petrie, a San Diego native who attended Mt. Carmel High School, is in her 24th season as head coach at USD. The Toreros enjoyed immediate success under Petrie, finishing 23-6 and advancing into the NCAA Tournament’s second round during her inaugural season in the fall of 1999.
With a career record of 478-163 (.745) as head coach, she has advanced USD to the NCAA Tournament in 22 of the past 24 seasons, including each of of the last 13 years.