Volleyball
Sep 12 (Fri)
7:00 PM
- Title:
- Head Coach
An AVCA Hall of Fame inductee in 2021, Jim McLaughlin built Washington Volleyball into a national powerhouse during fourteen seasons and helped put Seattle on the volleyball map.
The McLaughlin era produced the 2005 National Championship, four Final Four appearances, three national players of the year, three Pac-12 Conference titles, and 16 players that combined for 34 AVCA All-America awards. On nine occasions a Husky earned Academic All-America and Husky players combined for a whopping 58 All-Pac-12 awards under McLaughlin. McLaughlin was recognized by his peers as the 2004 AVCA National Coach of the Year, and Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2013.
Following the conclusion of the 2014 season, McLaughlin went on to take the head coaching job at Notre Dame. He left UW as the winningest coach in program history and one of the winningest coaches in Pac-12 history, with a record at Washington of 355-90, and 13-consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. As of his induction into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2021, McLaughlin remained the only college coach to have won both the men's and women's national championships
McLaughlin joined the Washington program in 2001, inheriting a team that finished last in the Pac-10 standings in 2000. Starting with its first ever Pac-10 title in 2004, Washington finished first or second in the loaded Pac-10 in eight of the next eleven seasons.
The Huskies achieved the No. 1 national ranking in 2004, 2005, and in 2013.
In 2014, Washington had another dominant season, going 31-3 and finishing second in the Pac-12 at 18-2, as Krista Vansant repeated as the Honda Award Winner for volleyball and became the first Husky to win Pac-12 Player of the Year back-to-back. The Huskies were ranked as high as No. 2 during the season. Washington was upset in the round of 16 by Nebraska. Vansant was named an AVCA First Team All-American once again, finishing as the UW career kills leader with 1,893. Kaleigh Nelson was named All-America Third Team once again and middle blocker Lianna Sybeldon earned her first All-America honor, on the Third Team.
Seattle hosted the 2013 Final Four for the first time ever, and Washington went into the year knowing it wanted to be take the court in its home city in December. The Huskies made it happen, winning the Pac-12 for the first time since 2005 with a mark of 18-2 behind Krista Vansant, who took her game to a new level in her junior season. Playing on the road at USC in the Elite Eight, Vansant had an historic 38 kills and 30 digs to lead UW back from down 0-2 to defeat the Trojans and reach the program's fourth Final Four. Washington would fall to eventual champion Penn State in the semis in Seattle, but Vansant became the first Husky to win AVCA National Player of the Year honors, to go with her Pac-12 Player of the Year award and the Honda Award. Right side hitter Kaleigh Nelson earned Third Team All-America and Jenna Orlandini was an All-America honorable mention at libero. McLaughlin won Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time.
The summer of 2012 saw McLaughlin's program achieve another major milestone, as former Honda Award winner Courtney Thompson (a 2006 grad) and three-time All-American Tamari Miyashiro (2009) became the first Husky U.S. Olympians as they helped Team USA win the silver medal at the London Games. They were joined in the Olympics by 2006 letterwinner Janine Sandell, who competed for Great Britain. Washington was one of four programs that had two players on the U.S. women's Olympic team, proving that the UW program can produce players able to compete at the game's highest level. Over the past two years, recent Husky grads Kindra Carlson, Jill Collymore, Jenna Hagglund, Becky Perry, and Airial Salvo have all been on national training team rosters.
Washington reached the NCAA tourney for the 10th year in a row in 2011, losing a five set heartbreaker on the road in the second round. Bianca Rowland capped her career with an AVCA Second Team All-America honor, becoming the third middle blocker to earn All-America honors under McLaughlin since 2006. And the Huskies succeeded while a freshman shouldered the offensive load. Krista Vansant led the team in kills en route to Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors, the second for a Husky under McLaughlin.
In 2010, the Huskies reached their ninth consecutive NCAA tournament and played their best volleyball in the postseason. Washington knocked off three straight Top-25 teams to reach the NCAA Regional Final for the sixth time in the past eight years. The Huskies swept No. 23 Michigan and No. 7 Hawaii to make the Sweet-16 then upset No. 3 Nebraska in four sets before falling to eventual finalist No. 4 Cal.
Senior outside hitters Kindra Carlson and Becky Perry closed their careers as AVCA Second Team All-Americans, and Bianca Rowland was honorable mention. The Dawgs finished sixth in the final AVCA rankings. The 2009 season saw UW ranked as high as No. 3 in the country for much of the season. The Huskies were Pac-10 runners-up with a 13-5 mark, and finished 24-6 overall. The Huskies earned a No. 6-seed in the NCAA tourney but were upset at Colorado State in the second round. Still, Washington earned numerous postseason accolades, including AVCA All-American Second Team honors for junior Kindra Carlson and senior Tamari Miyashiro, a Third Team award for junior Jenna Hagglund, and honorable mention for sophomore Bianca Rowland.
One of McLaughlin's most impressive coaching jobs was the 2008 season, as the Huskies were expected to finally have a down year by their lofty standards, but after being voted No. 5 in the preseason Pac-10 poll, Washington rolled to a 27-5 record and finished second in the conference with a 15-3 mark. The Huskies lost a heartbreaking five-setter to Nebraska in the Elite Eight, leaving UW two points short of another Final Four. The Huskies ended the season ranked fifth by the AVCA. Four Huskies earned All-America honors in 2008, including the third honor for senior middle blocker Jessica Swarbrick, and second for Miyashiro, who was named Volleyball Magazine National Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season. Hagglund and sophomore Becky Perry scored their first All-America honors as well.
In 2007, the Huskies compiled an impressive 27-4 record, marking the team's third straight 25+ win season. Washington advanced to the second round of NCAA action, but was upset by Brigham Young, 3-2, at home, breaking the Huskies' 12-match postseason home winning streak. Three Huskies earned AVCA All-America accolades, with Christal Morrison taking her second straight first-team honors, Jessica Swarbrick earning second-team accolades and Tamari Miyashiro taking a third-team pick. Morrison earned her fourth All-Pac-10 first-team honor, and was joined by Stevie Mussie, Swarbrick and Miyashiro.
In 2006, Washington advanced to its third consecutive NCAA Final Four where it fell to Stanford in the national semifinal to finish the year with a 29-5 record. Four players picked up AVCA All-America honors, including first-team selections Christal Morrison and Courtney Thompson, second-team honoree Alesha Deesing and third team pick Jessica Swarbrick, while Morrison and Thompson were also selected to the ASICS/Volleyball Magazine All-America first team. Thompson was once again a finalist for the Honda Broderick Award, which she won the previous year, and earned her third Academic All-America award. Morrison was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, the second-straight year a Husky won the honor. Thompson has since gone on to earn a starting setter spot on Team USA and Morrison stars on the AVP pro beach volleyball tour.
The 2005 season was one for the record books as the Huskies finished the season with a 32-1 record and cruised through the postseason, winning all six matches by 3-0 scores, an NCAA record, to win the national title. The national championship marked the second for McLaughlin, who previously led the 1990 USC men to the national title. McLaughlin was named the 2005 Pac-10 Coach of the Year after leading the Huskies to the Pac-10 title, while four Huskies earned All-America honors, including first team selections Thompson and Sanja Tomasevic, second team pick Candace Lee and third team honoree Morrison. Tomasevic became Washington's first Pac-10 Player of the Year, while Thompson won the Honda Broderick Award.
In 2004, the Huskies made history, capturing the program's first Pac-10 title and advancing to the national semifinal. Washington opened the season with 22 victories and the Seattle community rallied around the team. UW pulled nearly 42,000 fans through its doors in 13 home dates for the nation's fifth-highest attendance average and set a then-school record on Oct. 23 when 5,712 fans came out to see the Huskies defeat Stanford. It marked the fourth-highest attendance figure in Pac-10 history. McLaughlin was named the National Coach of the Year and received the Pacific Region and Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards. Three Huskies earned All-America honors, including Thompson, Morrison and Lee. Morrison became the first freshman in UW history to become an All-American and the first Husky to be named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. Five players were all-conference selections.
In 2003, McLaughlin led the Huskies to a fifth-place finish in the Pac-10 (10-8) before peaking in the postseason and defeating Utah, Northwestern and Stanford in the NCAA tournament to advance to the quarterfinals. Washington lost a five-game heartbreaker to Minnesota in the Elite Eight match to tie for its best NCAA finish in the program's history. The Huskies' 23-9 record was the program's second-best. The Huskies received multiple honors and awards, highlighted by Sanja Tomasevic being named a second-team All-American. Washington also had five athletes named to Pac-10 All-Conference teams, including Tomasevic to the first team, Kara Bjorklund, Myhre and Lee to the honorable mention team and Thompson to the all-freshman team.
In 2002, Jim McLaughlin earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors after leading the squad to its best finish in the league in five seasons and its seventh NCAA appearance. McLaughlin also helped develop Washington's first All-American since 1997 with first-team selection Paige Benjamin. That season, the Huskies finished the year with a 20-11 record and a 9-9 mark in the Pac-10, which saw four of its teams advance to the Elite Eight. The team's 20 wins marked just the fifth time the Huskies had posted 20 or more wins since becoming a NCAA sponsored sport in 1981. Washington also collected numerous awards and accolades, highlighted by Benjamin's first team All-America selection and her second team Academic All-America selection. The Huskies also had two first team all-conference picks and placed one athlete on the Pac-10 All-Freshman team. In his first year at UW, McLaughlin led the Huskies to an 11-16 record and a 4-14 mark in the Pac-10. The team's 11 wins in 2001 were the most for the program since 1997, and six players received Pac-10 All-Academic honors.
Prior to Washington
Before arriving at Washington, McLaughlin spent four seasons at Kansas State (1997-2000), compiling an 82-43 record and advancing to the NCAA tournament all four years. Overall, two Wildcats earned All-America honors, seven were named to the All-Big 12 first team and 15 garnered first-team academic all-conference accolades with McLaughlin at the helm. In 2000, he coached KSU to a 22-9 record, a program-best No. 16 national ranking and its first trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Wildcats also placed second in the Big 12 Conference, the school's best finish, behind eventual national champion Nebraska. In 1999, McLaughlin's squad posted its fifth consecutive season with 19 or more victories, including five wins over ranked opponents. Kansas State also tallied a school-record 14 conference victories, earning McLaughlin the 1999 Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year award. In 1998, Kansas State won its first NCAA tournament victory since 1996 with a 3-0 victory over Georgetown. His first team at KSU in 1997 placed sixth in the Big 12, but still managed to reach the 20-win plateau, at 20-13 overall.
Before he was hired at Kansas State on April 16, 1997, McLaughlin spent one season as an assistant women's coach at the University of Notre Dame under head coach Debbie Brown. That year, the Irish (22-12) went unbeaten in conference play, earning the Big East Conference regular season and tournament titles, before bowing out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to his one-year stint at Notre Dame, McLaughlin was the head men's coach at USC for seven seasons, leading the Trojans to the NCAA title in 1990 (his first season as head coach) and a runner-up finish in 1991. While at USC, McLaughlin's teams went 142-75 (.654) and were ranked in the top 10 five times. Fifteen players earned All-America accolades, led by two-time National Player of the Year, Bryan Ivie. Ivie, along with teammates Dan Greenbaum (setter) and Nick Becker (outside hitter) later went on to earn a bronze medal in Barcelona, Spain, as members of the 1992 U.S. Men's Olympic squad.
In 1990, McLaughlin's first season at USC, the Trojans were picked fifth and seventh respectively in the two preseason polls, returning just two starters and no seniors. McLaughlin, however, overcame any freshman jitters as USC won the school's fourth NCAA title with a four-game victory over Long Beach State, and finished 26-7 overall. With the win in the championship match, McLaughlin joined Pepperdine's Rod Wilde as the only rookie coach to win an NCAA men's volleyball title.
A year later, USC entered the 1991 season with a No. 1 ranking and held that spot all season. McLaughlin's Trojans won 34 of 36 matches and lost just 21 games. The team also rattled off a school-record 30-match win streak, which included a perfect 16-0 record in conference play, before Long Beach State avenged its 1990 NCAA loss, with its own four-game victory in the championship match. In 1993 and 1994, McLaughlin led the Trojans to back-to-back winning records.
The 1993 squad won five of its final seven matches to finish 18-12 overall, while earning a No. 7 ranking and a spot in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Tournament. The 1994 USC team jumped off to a 10-0 start, elevating to a No. 2 ranking, before placing second in the MPSF Pacific Division with a 13-5 mark, and finishing out the season with an overall record of 23-8. In 1995 and 1996, the Trojans remained among the nation's elite, finishing fourth and fifth in the powerful MPSF and ranking 11th and 13th nationally.
Playing Career and Coaching Beginnings
McLaughlin's volleyball career began as an elite setter. After leading Santa Monica High School to the CIF Southern Sectional title in 1979, McLaughlin played two seasons at Santa Monica Junior College (1980-81), which won the 1981 California Junior College Championship. A member of the 1981 U.S. World University Games team, he earned first team all-state honors and was named SMC's Athlete of the Year. In 1982, McLaughlin transferred to UC Santa Barbara (1982-83), where he was the Gauchos' starting setter for two seasons, earning honorable mention All-America honors as a senior. While finishing his bachelor's degree in film studies and economics, the 1985 graduate served as a student assistant coach for both the UCSB men's and women's squads, under legendary coaches Kathy Gregory and Ken Preston. He also captained the 1985 U.S. World University Games team and was an USVBA All-American.
McLaughlin's first full-time college coaching job took him to Pepperdine University (1986-89), where he helped coach the Waves to a combined record of 74-41 and the 1986 NCAA men's title. At Pepperdine, McLaughlin got the benefits of working with two of the best coaches in the nation, alongside Wilde, an assistant with the 1996 and 2000 men's U.S. Olympic teams, and Marv Dunphy, the head coach of the 1988 gold medal-winning U.S. men's squad. The Malibu, Calif., native also has had experience coaching on the international level as a three-time head coach at the World University Games (1991, 1993, 1995), in addition to being the head coach of the 1991 Pan-Am team and a consultant for the men's U.S. Olympic teams in 1992 and 1996. He also served as the women's national team advisor in the 2010 Montreux Volley Masters tournament, a squad that featured a trio of Husky alumni. McLaughlin is married to the former Margaret Jarc, a four-year soccer monogram winner at the University of Notre Dame. The couple has three daughters: Megan, Molly, and Marit.
McLaughlin news and features:
• Washington's McLaughlin Keeps The Focus Simple: Improvement Seattle Times (Nov. 30, 2011)
• McLaughlin's Winning Formulas GoHuskies.com (Oct. 13, 2010)
• Husky Volleyball Coach Is One Of A Kind Everett Herald(Aug. 28, 2009)
• UW volleyball coach gets five-year extension Seattle Times (Jan. 14, 2005)
• McLaughlin wants to stay in Seattle - Seattle Times (Dec. 22, 2004)
• McLaughlin a candidate to coach national teams - Seattle Times (Dec. 21, 2004)
• Q&A; with Coach Jim McLaughlin - gohuskies.com (Aug. 31, 2004)
