Dagenais Pursues Professional Volleyball Opportunity As Winningest UCF Volleyball Coach Over 15 Seasons

Todd Dagenais (DAH-juh-nay), the winningest all-time UCF volleyball coach over the past 15 seasons and architect of five consecutive American Athletic Conference volleyball titles from 2018-22 as well as consistently strong academic performances by his teams, today announced his resignation at the end of the spring season to pursue a professional sports opportunity. 
 
UCF associate head coach Jenny Maurer will serve as acting head coach.
 
"These past 15 years have been an indescribable privilege to work with so many special women that have come through our program," said Dagenais. "An entire group of highly successful and decorated former volleyball players is making a difference in the world. I'm grateful to have been supported by Jenny Maurer and Brian Doyon over the past several years--each providing the continuity necessary to compete on the national stage. There will never be enough words to thank all the former coaches, managers and support staff that allowed our program to be the best it can be. Thank you for helping us write history.
 
"My opportunity at UCF has given me the experience and confidence to go and help start a professional league, manage and coach a franchise--and provide opportunities for women's volleyball players that are not available to them right now."
 
Dagenais ranks first in UCF program history with 308 career victories as head coach. His 227 overall wins over 10 seasons in the AAC and 142 conference victories over that same span make him the all-time winningest volleyball coach in AAC history in both categories.
 
Academics proved one of the major focuses once Dagenais set foot on campus in 2008. The Knights kept at least a 3.0 grade-point average for every semester since May 2008. During that span, 62 Knights earned spots on conference academic teams. The Knight volleyball team currently boasts the highest combined GPA of any UCF program at 3.68.


"Todd has done a fabulous job of building UCF volleyball into a national program," said UCF vice president and director of athletics Terry Mohajir. "We thank him for all he has done and wish him all the best in his next professional endeavor. He leaves our program well-positioned for additional future successes.
 
"We're pleased to have Jenny Maurer serve as the acting head coach. This was strongly recommended by Todd during his transition."
 
Dagenais' tenure in Orlando was highlighted by six trips to the NCAA Championships:
--2014 (25 wins and the Knights' first ticket to the NCAA Championships since 2003)
--2018 (undefeated in conference play)
--2019 (winner of the inaugural AAC championship tournament—with first NCAA Championship victory coming versus Florida State on Dec. 5, 2019, also securing Dagenais' spot as UCF volleyball's all-time winningest head coach, passing Lucy McDaniel for his 237th career win)
--2020 (undefeated against AAC opponents for second time in program history)
--2021 (27-7 overall and 19-1 in The American for the most AAC wins in program history)
--2022 (28-2 overall and 19-1 in conference play, fifth consecutive conference title after defeating Houston in the last regular-season match of the season) 
--First-round NCAA victories in 2019, 2021 and 2022
 
Dagenais mentored many of the best players in UCF history. He guided players to 14 American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America honors and to 24 all-region laurels. Thirty-eight student-athletes garnered all-conference honors over the 15 seasons under Dagenais. Most recently McKenna Melville in 2022 became UCF's first AVCA first-team All-American after also earning her third consecutive AAC Player of the Year award and being named 2022 Academic All-America of the Year for volleyball by College Sports Communicators.
    
USA Volleyball Experience
Dagenais earned a long list of coaching opportunities with USA Volleyball:
--He was part of the coaching group that picked the 2018 Collegiate Women's National Team. 
--In June 2016 he was selected to be a co-head coach of the 2016 Collegiate Women's National Team.
--In 2011 and 2012, he coached the U.S. Women's Junior A2 Programs.
--At the 2011 USA Volleyball High-Performance Championships, he directed the USA Women's Junior A2 Team to the bronze medal of the Women's Junior Championship Division.
--In the summer of 2009, Dagenais served as a member of the staff at the U.S. Women's National Team Open Tryout at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
--He was the head coach for the 2007 USA White Select National Team that won the silver medal at the USA Volleyball High-Performance Championships.
--He spent the 2006 season with USA Volleyball, working to identify and develop future national team players.
--He was part of the U.S. Women's National Team coaching delegation to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
 
Previous Coaching Stops
Before assuming the post at UCF, Dagenais spent three seasons as the assistant head coach at USC, helping guide the Trojans to a 29-5 record and a trip to the 2007 NCAA Final Four. USC closed out that campaign ranking third in the final AVCA poll. From 1998-2003 he served as associate head volleyball coach at Michigan State, as the Spartans competed in the NCAA Championship all five seasons. Dagenais was also an assistant coach at Northern Michigan in 1998, serving as recruiting and travel coordinator for the Wildcats.

Dagenais received his bachelor's degree in sports medicine (with an emphasis in exercise physiology) from Central Michigan in 1995. He played on the Chippewas' men's club team for four years and was also a certified athletic trainer.

Todd Dagenais Coaching Record at UCF (bold denotes conference championships)