Matt McShane

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Position: Head Coach Experience: 3rd Season Alma Mater: UC Santa Barbara (1977) BYU (1982)

Matt McShane is entering his third season as the head coach of the Air Force volleyball program.

During his first year on the bench, McShane guided Air Force to its first victory in Mountain West Conference action since 2005, while breathing life back into the program. The Falcons collected four total wins, including an impressive 3-1 win over San Diego State and a thrilling 3-2 season-opening victory over two-time NCAA Tournament team, Long Island.

McShane coached one of the nation's youngest teams during the 2011 season, as the roster featured just four returners on a 13-member roster. The Falcons accounted for three wins, including a 3-0 sweep over service academy rival Navy to mark the program's first true road win since 2009.

Backed by a stellar recruiting class, McShane and his assistant coaches received High Honorable Mention status from PrepVolleyball.com in 2012. The distinction marked the first time in program history that a class of Air Force recruits has been honored with such an award.

Under McShane's direction, the program moved back to the friendly confines of Falcon Court at East Gym. By becoming more involved in the community, Air Force set a new Division I single-season attendance record in 2010 and accounted for the third-best single-season average in 2011. In just two years, the Falcons have accounted for five of the 10 best single-match attendance totals in Division I history.

McShane has also spearheaded the revival of the All-Academy Tournament, which will begin play at The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., during the 2012 season. The annual tournament will feature the service academy teams of Air Force, Army, The Citadel and Navy, as well as one non-academy team.

Named as one of Volleyball Magazine's 10 Best Assistant Coaches, McShane joined the Falcon program on Jan. 26, 2010, after a five-year stint as an assistant coach at the University of California-Berkeley.

During his tenure at Cal, the Bears posted a 114-47 overall record, produced seven AVCA All-Americans and finished each season ranked among the nation's top 20, including a No. 4 ranking in 2007. Cal earned a berth into the NCAA Volleyball Tournament every year McShane was on the bench. During his last season in Berkeley, the Golden Bears, who finished the 2009 season with a 21-11 record (11-7 Pac-10), advanced to the regional championship match for the third consecutive year, before falling to defending national champion and top-seeded Penn State.

McShane is no stranger to the Mountain West.

Prior to his stint at Berkeley, McShane spent four years as an assistant coach at the University of Utah. In 2004, the Utes went 24-7 overall and 13-1 in league action and captured a share of their first-ever MWC title.

Before joining the Utah staff, McShane was an associate head coach at the University of New Mexico (1987-00). In 13 years in Albuquerque, he helped guide the Lobos to a 189-127 record, two conference championships and six trips to the NCAA tournament.

Additionally, McShane served as an assistant coach at BYU from 1980-82, while earning his master's degree.

The Falcons' mentor also brings a tremendous amount of coaching experience at both the national and international levels to the Air Force program.

Most recently, McShane served on the coaching staff of the U.S. Women's Junior National Team, which won the gold medal at the 2010 NORCECA Continental Championships in Mexico. Competing against teams from throughout North America, Central America and the Caribbean, the U.S. team posted a perfect 5-0 record, sweeping the competition in straight sets. The squad, which won its fourth consecutive NORCECA title, also qualified to the 2011 FIVB World Championships.

In the summer of 2007, McShane was an assistant coach for USA Volleyball's National A2 team. During the summer of 2002, he also served as the head coach for the USA National A2 Team. In the summer of 2001, he was the head coach for the Intermountain Volleyball Association (IVA) High Performance Team that toured Europe.

In 1996, McShane was named an assistant coach of the USA Women's National team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. While with the U.S. National team, McShane designed and ran practice sessions, did video analysis of Team USA and other major teams in the world, and prepared scouting reports on U.S. opponents.

McShane's coaching background also includes assisting former USA Women's National Indoor Volleyball team coach "Jenny" Lang Ping with the Yaohan International Volleyball Team in 1996. The team was comprised of the best American and Russian players who competed against the Chinese and Cuban National teams in cities throughout China.

He is a member of the USAV Coaches Accreditation Program Cadre (CAP Level III), and each year he runs numerous clinics throughout the U.S., teaching other college, high school and junior coaches the fundamentals of volleyball.

As an undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara, McShane played on the only intercollegiate team to win the USAV Open National Championship. The UCSB teams finished second in the NCAA Championships in 1974 and 1975, and finished third in the NCAA Regional Championships in 1976. He was an All-American for the Gauchos in 1974.

McShane earned his bachelor's degree from UC Santa Barbara in 1977 and his master's degree from BYU in 1982. While at BYU, he played on the men's club team that finished third at the USAV Open National Championship in 1981.