LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has named Brad Rostratter as its head coach of the men's volleyball program. The announcement was made Friday by Director of Athletics Earl Edwards.
"We are pleased to welcome Brad Rostratter to the Triton Family," said Edwards. "He has proven to be a great teacher of the game and his passion for a positive scholar-athlete experience will help our program grow within the highly-competitive Big West. I am confident his connections in the volleyball coaching community – particularly as it relates to club volleyball – will aid in recruiting."
A National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Coach of the Year and two-time Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Coach of the Year, Rostratter comes to La Jolla from Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif., where he served as the men's volleyball head coach since the program's inception in 2019. He led the Lions to a pair of GSAC regular season titles, a league tournament title, and two appearances at the NAIA National Tournament.
"I'm grateful for this opportunity to lead UC San Diego Men's Volleyball," said Rostratter. "Thank you to Director of Athletics, Earl Edwards, and Associate Athletics Director, Nick Feller, for entrusting me with the vision to generate a scholar-athlete experience for the men's volleyball athletes here in La Jolla. The Triton experience attracts outstanding individuals with a passion to grow and develop as men, learners, communicators, and competitors and those aspects align with my values as a teacher and leader! Lastly, thank you to my wife, Bre for being by my side through the process and for her excitement to start a new chapter of our journey in San Diego."
In the spring of 2019, Rostratter was hired by Vanguard to launch a men's volleyball program. From there, he led the Lions to a 39-19 (.672) overall record and a 21-5 (.808) mark in GSAC play over three seasons.
In 2020, the Lions' inaugural campaign, they went 10-8 overall and 6-3 in the GSAC before the season was cut short due to COVID-19.
The Lions followed up with a banner year in 2021, first claiming GSAC regular season and tournament titles. They went on to win a pair of matches at the NAIA National Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, to advance to the semifinals. The Lions finished 12-4 overall and 6-1 in conference play and Rostratter was selected as the NAIA Coach of the Year and GSAC Coach of the Year.
The 2022 season saw Vanguard roll to a 17-7 record while going 9-1 in the GSAC to capture another regular season crown. Once again, they qualified for the NAIA Tournament and won a match in Des Moines. Rostratter was again honored as the GSAC Coach of the Year.
Rostratter tutored six all-conference players, including back-to-back GSAC Player of the Year Kyle Anema in 2021 and 2022. Anema also captured GSAC Newcomer of the Year accolades in 2020. His six all-league standouts combined for 12 citations, including a pair of three-time honorees in Anema and Bryce Thompson.
Anema and Thompson received NAIA All-America honors three straight seasons, while Matthew Roussin earned the nod twice.
In addition, Rostratter's teams have been outstanding in the classroom, claiming NAIA Scholar Team recognition in 2020 and 2022. Individually, 11 of his players have been named GSAC Scholar-Athletes.
The Lions have been ranked nationally in the NAIA top-15 for 14 straight weeks spanning both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, ranked no lower than No. 7 during that span.
Rostratter got his coaching start at Concordia in Irvine, Calif., serving as an assistant coach from 2013-2016 at his alma mater. Following a short stint as director of volleyball operations at Arizona State, he moved on to the Sports Academy Volleyball Club in California's Ventura County to coach the Boy's 16's Division. Rostratter then took the PCH a bit south to Malibu to become Pepperdine's assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Rostratter has been involved with USA Volleyball since 2015 and the Balboa Bay Volleyball Club since 2010 and is currently active with both. In August, he led the U.S. Women's National Team to a bronze medal at the Pan Am Cup. Prior to that, he worked with Team USA as part of the 2022 Volleyball Nations League. This past spring he guided Balboa Bay to the national championship of the AAU Boys Junior National Volleyball Championship in Orlando, Fla.
"Our USA Women's National Volleyball Team had the good fortune to collaborate with Brad as a consultant coach during several important phases of our 2022 season," said Team USA head coach Karch Kiraly. "We learned what an exceptional human being and exceptional coach he is, as he so quickly and clearly had a positive impact on the people around him. We are thrilled for Brad as he begins this new adventure. Congratulations to Brad and to the UC San Diego men's volleyball program!"
As a player at Concordia, Rostratter and the Eagles won an NAIA National Championship in 2013.
Rostratter graduated from Concordia in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in communication studies. He went on to earn a master's degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia. Rostratter attained an associate's degree in general studies from Orange Coast College in 2011.
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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
