Auburn hires Southern Cal head coach to lead volleyball program

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AUBURN, Alabama--Auburn announced on Tuesday evening it has hired Brent Crouch of Southern Cal to take over as head coach of the Auburn women’s volleyball team.
That position has been vacant since Rick Nold stepped down on Dec. 2nd following a disappointing 2019 season in which the Tigers won just one SEC match. Nold posted a 127-139 record in nine seasons at Auburn.  

Crouch has been head coach at Southern Cal for two seasons where he led teams to the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament the past two seasons.

“Volleyball in the SEC is on the rise, and it is only a matter of time before it leads the country,” Crouch said. “I want to be at the forefront of that growth. Auburn volleyball is ready to take off, and I'm excited to partner with the department to ensure this happens.

“Once I knew I was aligned with the core values, mission and the specific vision of volleyball at Auburn outlined by Allen Greene, it was a simple decision to come on board,” he said.
“The Auburn family is going to see a volleyball program playing a fast, aggressive style of volleyball and to continue to develop young student athletes at the highest level on and off the court.

“I expect us to be earning a bid to the NCAA tournament very soon, and I know our athletes are up for that challenge,” Crouch added. “It's a great time to be an Auburn Tiger."
?Brent Crouch is shown while coaching for Southern Cal.
 

Greene, Auburn’s athletic director, said, “We are excited to welcome Brent, his wife Marcy and sons Jonathan and William into the Auburn family. Brent is a well-respected teacher, motivator and tactician which have guided him throughout his accomplished coaching career.

“Most importantly, we feel that Brent’s leadership will further enhance the Auburn experience for our student athletes,” Greene added. “We look forward to the development and growth of the Auburn volleyball program under Brent in the years to come.”

Southern Cal finished 22-11 in 2018 with a 13-7 record in Pac-12 play, which put the Trojans in second place. The 2019 team finished 18-14.

Crouch was the 2016 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year after taking over an 0-27 team at the University of Portland and improving to 7-23 in season one in 2014, 16-15 in 2015 and 17-13 in 2016.

Prior to taking the job at Portland the new Auburn head coach worked at Saint Mary’s College in California where he was an assistant coach from 2010-13 for the Gaels, who posted a 73-40 record during that period.

In 2013 he was named head coach of the startup Saint Mary’s College beach volleyball team that finished 8-2 with a No. 9 national ranking.

Other coaching experience includes working with the USA Volleyball program. He played the sport collegiately on Texas A&M’s club team and professionally from 2005-07 on the AVP and CBVA events with a top finish a second at the 2005 California Cup state championship.

Crouch earned his bachelor's degree in history in 1998 plus a master's in philosophy in 2000 from Texas A&M along with a doctorate in philosophy from Oregon in 2006. He has taught philosophy at Oregon, San Diego City College and Saint Mary's College since 2000. He and wife Marcy have two sons, Jonathan and William.

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