Toby Rens enters his fourth season at the helm of the University of Pittsburgh women's volleyball program. He is the first coach since 1999 to earn back-to-back-to-back Big East Tournament appearances during the first three years as head coach of the Panthers.
Pitt has proven to be a force at the net, posting a 2.41 block per set average in the last three seasons. The Panthers have also hosted the Big East Tournament in two of those three seasons, while increasing attendance numbers with several home tournaments.
Just this past year, two Panthers earned All-Big East honors, as Amy Town collected her second all-conference nod and Imani Harper grabbed her first on Rens' watch. Town ended her career as one of the school's top-10 leaders in kills. She recorded career-bests in kills, assists, aces and digs in her senior season and was a starter under Rens for all three years. Town became the second-consecutive member of the volleyball team to earn Pitt's prestigious Panther Award, which etches her name in the coveted Pitt Varsity Walk. Panther standout Meagan Dooley claimed both the Blue-Gold and Panther award in 2009.
Harper was a two-year starter for Rens and led the team in blocks her senior year.
During the 2009 season, Rens led the Panthers to their best record since 2006, posting a 20-11 mark and going 12-2 in conference play to finish tied for second.
The 12 Big East wins were more than any other Pitt team has recorded in the program's history since conference play began in 1990. In just his second season with the team, Rens compiled an overall record of 37-25 for a .676 winning percentage to go along with a stellar 20-8 league record.
The 2009 season was filled with accomplishments that include: • AVCA All-America Third Team honors for Meagan Dooley, and AVCA All-America honorable mention accolades for Michelle Rossi • Big East Player of the Year (Dooley) and Big East Libero of the Year (Rossi) • Set a school record for most wins in Big East play (12) • Posted a win over a top-20 team (No. 18 Wichita State) • Set a school record for straight-set shutouts in conference play (eight) • Received votes for the Top 25 Coaches Poll • Finished the season with a top 50 national ranking, according to the final NCAA Division I Volleyball RPI • Ranked in NCAA Division I: seventh in blocks per set (2.86), 24th in assists per set (13.04), tied for 25th in kills per set and 38th in hitting percentage (.247)
"I was very pleased with the 2009 roster," Rens stated. "Their work ethic and commitment was outstanding. Everyone counted us out in the preseason Coaches poll. We were picked eighth in the Big East, but we finished tied for second."
In his first season with the Panthers, Rens guided the Panthers to a quarterfinal upset over then-No. 2 seed and regular-season champion Cincinnati. Trailing 2-0 in the five-set thriller, Pitt rallied back to win the three games that followed intermission. The Panthers ended a 15-match win streak for the Bearcats and secured their first conference tournament victory since defeating Syracuse (3-0) in 2004.
Rossi earned AVCA All-Northeast Region honorable mention honors at the conclusion of the season. Outside hitter Kelly Campbell and Dooley were All-Big East selections.
That year, Rens also emphasized the importance of academics as the women's volleyball team garnered the athletic department's Top Women's Team Award and the Overall Top GPA Award for the third consecutive year.
Under Rens' guidance, multiple players have been named to the All-Big East team, AVCA All-Region team, AVCA All-American team and a Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year in Meagan Dooley.
"I'd like to thank Steve Pederson and his staff for giving me this opportunity," Rens said. "During the interview process it was apparent that Pitt has a tremendous commitment to the student-athlete. There is a wonderful support system here to help our young people achieve both academically and athletically.
"I first visited Pitt while I was an assistant at George Washington and really fell in love with the city and university. Western Pennsylvania has a great tradition of high school and Junior Olympic volleyball. When you combine that with the strong fan support the university's sports teams have, it just makes for a great opportunity to build something special. I am really looking forward to a new chapter for Pitt volleyball and building off the tremendous history the program already has."
Before Rens came to Pitt, he established the Long Island University women's volleyball program as a perennial NCAA Tournament team and Northeast Conference power.
Rens joined Pitt following a highly successful four-year tenure at LIU that witnessed the Blackbirds earn Northeast Conference titles and automatic NCAA Tournament berths each season. LIU averaged 26.5 victories a year under Rens, including the winningest season in LIU history: a 32-7 mark in 2004.
Rens coached three Northeast Conference Player of the Year honorees at LIU and himself was named the 2005 NEC Coach of the Year. Overall, 18 LIU players earned All-NEC accolades under his guidance.
LIU also performed exceptionally in the classroom under Rens' watch. The Blackbirds earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Academic Award three times (2007-08, 2006-07 and 2004-05) and regularly boasted one of the highest team grade-point averages at LIU, twice taking top honors. Two of his student-athletes were named to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team.
Prior to LIU, Rens served as head coach for three seasons (2001-03) at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, where he orchestrated a dramatic turnaround. Prior to his arrival, the Hawks had not won a match in over two years. During his debut season, UMES went 3-28 before surging to a 20-15 mark and earning a berth in the conference final the following year. For his efforts in directing the biggest one-year turnaround, in NCAA Division I history, Rens was named the 2002 MEAC Coach of the Year. The Hawks went 46-27 over his final two seasons, including a 26-12 mark in 2003.
Rens' other head coaching post came at Northern Michigan University, where he compiled a two-year 58-17 mark and guided the Wildcats to a pair of NCAA Division II Tournaments and two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular-season titles.
In addition to his head coaching posts, Rens served as an assistant at Texas Tech (2000), George Washington (1994-97), Tennessee Tech (1993) and his alma mater, Morningside College (1992).
He is highly active in national volleyball circles, serving as a member of the NCAA Division I Head Coaches Committee and as a voter in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll.
A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Rens graduated from Morningside in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in physical education.
