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The Marshall University volleyball team has been nothing short of spectacular since the arrival of head coach Mitch Jacobs in 2002. The two-time Conference USA Coach of the Year enters his eighth year with the Marshall program after guiding the Thundering Herd to six 20-plus win seasons in his first seven years.
Jacobs made Marshall volleyball history at the East Carolina Invitational on Sept. 20, 2008, when the Herd defeated Morgan State, 3-0. The victory marked the 139th of Jacobs' coaching career in Huntington, which surpassed former coach Linda Holmes, for the most wins as a MU volleyball coach. Jacobs now stands at 145 career wins at MU.
In 2005, the Herd recorded 26 victories, its most wins since 1995 which included the Conference USA regular season and tournament championships and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to joining C-USA, Jacobs guided the squad to two consecutive Mid-American Conference Tournament finals.
In 2007, Jacobs led his team back to the top of the C-USA ranks, posting a dominant 15-1 record in league action, and a 23-9 overall record en route the Herd's second C-USA regular season title in three years. Marshall, the No. 1 seed and host of the 2007 C-USA Championship tournament, earned a 3-1 decision in the quarterfinals but dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 semifinals contest to conclude a brilliant season.
Jacobs was awarded Co-Coach of the Year honors for his efforts during the 2007 season. He also reached the 300-win milestone on Sept. 23 with a 3-1 victory over Tulsa. Jacobs now stands at 327 career wins, racking up victories at Florida Tech and Fairfield University prior to joining the Herd. Jacobs' 64.2 win-percentage is also tops in program history for coaches who have coached in 50-or-more matches.
During his first campaign in 2002, the Morton Grove, Ill., native brought about a berth in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, a 20-win season, and a 10-1 home match record. All were firsts in over four years for the Marshall Volleyball program, which had been struggling before Jacobs' arrival.
Before coming to Huntington, Jacobs was the head coach at Fairfield University for three years. While at Fairfield, Jacobs led the Stags to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, three top ten Mideast Regional rankings (6th in `99, 7th in `00, and 10th in `01), three straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Championships, and two MAAC Regular Season Championships. His three year coaching record at Fairfield was 75-24, including an astounding 26-1 in conference play and 6-0 in tournament play. He coached six All-MAAC players, including two Players of the Year and one Rookie of the Year. The classroom was also no stranger to Jacobs' players at Fairfield, as his teams' GPA never strayed below the 3.0 mark after each academic year during his tenure.
Prior to his time at Fairfield, Jacobs spent six successful years at Division II Florida Tech in Melbourne, Fla. He became the school's all-time leader in career volleyball coaching wins, while leading the Panthers to the first winning season in the school's history. In fact, Florida Tech had five winning seasons during his six years in Melbourne. His teams were consistently ranked in the top six in the South Region, and one of his teams (1996) gained the school's first ever Top 25 ranking for the volleyball program. Like his teams at Fairfield, his Panthers also excelled on the academic side. The volleyball team finished 11 of 12 semesters with the highest GPA among all athletic programs at Florida Tech.
In 14 of 16 years as a head coach, Jacobs has posted a winning record. Preceding Florida Tech, Jacobs served as an assistant at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla., from 1991-93.
Jacobs also brings considerable club experience to Marshall and the Tri-State community. While at Fairfield, he was the Director of Coaching Development and Technical Training and the Director of the Travel Program with the Connecticut Juniors Volleyball Club in Woodbridge, Conn. At Florida Tech, he developed the Harbour City Juniors Volleyball Club Team, where he built a highly successful juniors program. In Tampa, he received his first head coaching experience with the Tampa Bay Juniors Volleyball Club.
Internationally, Jacobs was an assistant coach for the USA Maccabiah Team in 2001, and in the summer of 2004 he was selected to coach one of two teams from the United States to play in the under-20 Sibillini Tournament in Italy. Jacobs was the head coach of Team Third Degree and guided the squad to the bronze medal. In the summer of 2009, he served as an assistant coach for the USA/BIP Development Team. The squad went a perfect 8-0 in tournament play and captured its first ever Global Challenge Championship in Pula, Croatia.
Jacobs graduated with a degree in Political Science from the University of Iowa in 1991. While at Iowa, he played for the men's club volleyball team. |
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