Thorn, the only head coach in the ECU volleyball program’s history, heads into his eighth season after guiding the Tigers to a record of 72-154 in the first seven seasons.
2014 was a learning season for the Tigers, who had no seniors and just two upperclassman. Despite the learning curve, juniors Sarah Simpson and Hayley Gerken were both named to the All-Great American Conference honorable mention team.
ECU went 12-19 in 2013 and tied for fourth in the GAC, with an 8-6 record. The Tigers advanced to the semifinals of the GAC Championship and saw two players earn All-GAC honors. Senior Danielle Essix was named to the All-GAC Second Team, while senior Ashley Williams was named to the All-GAC Honorable Mention team in her first season at ECU.
The season also saw the Tigers first member of the 1,000 Kill Club, as Noel Cope tallied her 1,000th kill Oct. 29 at Northwestern Oklahoma State. Cope finished her career with 1,072 kills.
In 2012, ECU went 10-23, with a 7-7 GAC finish. Senior Tatiana Booth led the team throughout the season and earned All-GAC First Team honors for her efforts.
In 2011, the Tigers posted a 14-18 overall record and an 8-8 mark in the first season of the GAC. The campaign was the best in school history as ECU reached the semifinals of the GAC Championship before falling to eventual champion Arkansas Tech.
Thorn’s coaching efforts led to three of his players earning all-conference accolades that season as setter Shayla May and outside hitter Noelle Cope were second team selections while Booth was an honorable mention pick.
In the program’s first season, 2008, Thorn coached the Lone Star Conference Newcomer of the Year and All-LSC First Team honoree in setter Holly Hicks. In 2009, Hicks picked up first team all-conference accolades again, while teammates Emily Holombek and Jacqueline Sparks were honorable mention selections.
In 2010, libero Megan Kimak was picked for the All-LSC Second Team.
Thorn’s overall coaching mark is 161-266.
His teams have also achieved academic success. In the first four seasons, his teams had a combined 3.3 grade-point average or better and three received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award.
Prior to his arrival at ECU, Thorn was the head volleyball coach at Texas-Pan American from 1998-2006. In his nine seasons with the UTPA program, he guided the Broncs to a school-best 112 victories, including the best four-year run in school history (15 or more wins in each of those seasons).
He posted two 19-win seasons in 2000 and 2003 and was voted independent coach of the year by all Division I independent coaches in 2000.
His teams were ranked 16th in the nation in digs per game with 19.14 in 2004 and he coached a player who was ranked in the top 10 in Division I in digs per game during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Also, 24 of his players were named to the all-independent team from 2000-2006.
Thorn’s leadership qualities carried over to an emphasis on the classroom as every athlete he recruited, who completed their eligibility, graduated or was on track to graduate. His teams had a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher for the last seven years at UTPA and 67 of his student-athletes earned a 3.0 GPA or higher.
Also at UTPA, 33 of his student-athletes earned a spot on the Dean’s List, while 22 players were selected to the athletic director’s honor roll. Thirteen student-athletes were United States Achievement Academy All-American Scholars and 10 volleyball players made the Academic All-Independent Team for the last six years there.
Prior to taking the head coaching position at UTPA, Thorn served as an assistant for two seasons (1996 and 1997), in which the team posted 19 wins one of those years. That team qualified for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the first time in school history in 1996.
Thorn was assistant volleyball coach at Whitworth College (Wash.), for one season and was the head coach at Riverside High School near Spokane for two seasons. He led the team to the postseason both years in 1993 and 1994. That 1993 campaign was the first time Riverside had ever advanced to the postseason.
He received his master’s degree in kinesiology from UTPA in 1998 and received his B.A. from Whitman College (Wash.), in 1992. He is a 1988 graduate of Mead High School in Spokane, where he participated in basketball and track.
Thorn’s wife is Beatriz and they have a daughter, Sara (12).
