Volleyball at Ohio University

Ryan Theis

Head Coach

An Interview with Coach Theis, by Cricket Jones

“What is he like?”

Without exception, every fan I’ve talked to about the new coach has asked me this. This being Ryan’s first year, I will let him tell us. Maybe next year we can tell him what he’s like.

Ryan serves first:

RT: I believe in treating all players fair and differently. No two players respond in exactly the same way. By knowing how they work best, I can coach them most effectively and encourage them by customizing my approach in leadership.

CJ: Let's say the doctor told you "No volleyball. None for twenty-four hours.” What would you do in that day?

RT: This will never happen, but what I would do is run to my family. I just can not get enough time with them, even though I want to. Imagine getting a call from Jenny [Jenny Manz Theis, Ryan’s wife and the Volunteer Assistant Coach] and hearing "Carter is starting to crawl," just as your high school all-American recruit steps in your office for the first time. You want to drop everything and go see Carter, but in reality volleyball is a sixty-, maybe an eighty-hour a week commitment, and I have to juggle and squeeze time in for family.
I really want to take advantage of the beautiful country in and around Athens. The hills.......everywhere is gorgeous! I would call Jenny and say “Load up the Durango, we are going out into the country for a big hike.” And golf. Can I get a game of golf in there too? The last two times I played golf were at required volleyball coach retreats.

CJ: What do you think about the MAC?

RT: The MAC is a very strong conference. We may even lose a match this year. We have no consecutive win streak pressures or the like. We will be learning how we play best through trials and errors and hopefully we will be ready to roll by tournament time. I will make a prediction. All of my players will receive a championship experience from me and my coaching staff no matter how many wins or losses we have.

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