Over the Net: Volleyball Coaching Staff Complete

TCU attains Morgan Thomas as assistant coach, retains Kyle Luango

©️ Barry Lewis, KillerFrogs.com

With the hiring of Assistant Coach Morgan Thomas, and the retention of Assistant Coach Kyle Luango, TCU volleyball's coaching staff has been finalized for the 2022 season. 

Head Coach Jason Williams is "thrilled" with the development.  "We have a great group of experienced and passionate leaders here at TCU," he says, "and I'm so excited to begin our journey together.  We are ready to serve these incredible student athletes and help TCU volleyball continue its growth on the national stage." 

By all accounts, Thomas' credentials are impressive.  She joins the Horned Frogs with ten years' experience, including eight at the Power 5 level.  

Specializing in floor defense, serving, and passing, Thomas spent the 2021 season as a volunteer assistant at Pitt, where she helped lead the Panthers to a 30-4 record, an NCAA Final Four berth, and a No. 3 ranking in AVCA coaches' poll.  

Prior to Pitt, Thomas worked with Texas Tech for five seasons as assistant coach, recruiting coordinator (2016-2017), and, ultimately, associate head coach (2018-2020), lending her expertise to help middle blockers and defense while simultaneously leading Tech's recruiting efforts. 

A recipient of the prestigious AVCA Thirty under 30 Award in 2019 following her third season in Lubbock, Thomas is an active member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, having served with the AVCA Match Point Mentoring Program since 2018, the AVCA Assistant Coaches' Committee from 2015-20, and the College Coach Advisory Board for the Junior Volleyball Recruiting Association from 2019-20. 

Thomas quickly demonstrated her acumen as a recruiter, as she was responsible for Top 60 recruiting classes in 2019, 20, and 21.  As a talent developer, over the course of one decade, she has coached fifteen All-Conference, three AVCA All-Region, and one AVCA All-American athletes.

With her helping the front line at Texas Tech, the Raiders boasted three consecutive winning seasons between 2017 and 19, during which she guided two student athletes to All-Big 12 honors (Katy Keenan, Second Team All-Big 12, in 2018, and Lauren Douglass, Second Team All-Big 12, AVCA All-Southwest Region Honorable Mention, in 2017).  Also during her tenure at Tech, she helped recruit and mentor All-Big 12 selections Caitlin Dugan and Samantha Sanders, and proved instrumental in TTU's achieving its highest conference finish in program history (5th) while collecting their most Big-12 wins since 2002. 

Prior to Tech, Thomas was assistant coach for Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, where she aided the Islanders in their best season in program history (2015), with an overall record of 31-5 and a perfect 16-0 in conference play.  Her team captured the Southland Conference regular season and tournament crowns, securing the first NCAA Tournament berth in program history.  

Promoted to assistant coach in 2015, Thomas saw her first season in that role conclude with four First-Team-All-Southland Conference performers and two Southland Conference Players of the Year.  Before TAMUCC, she spent two years as the graduate assistant for the University of South Carolina. 

Head Coach Jason Williams is "extremely excited about adding Morgan to the staff. She has Final Four and Big 12 experience as well as an infectious passion and energy for the game. She brings strong recruiting connections and experience that will help elevate the program immediately. She had other great opportunities, and we are blessed that she chose the Frog Fam to help us create an amazing experience for the student athletes."  

Meanwhile, equally exciting, Assistant Coach Kyle Luongo will return for his third season at TCU, where he has worked primarily with setters.  Under his mentorship, TCU setter McKenzie Nichols recorded the third most assists/set by an underclassman in a Power 5 Conference, finishing with with 778 assists (10.10 assists/set) in 2020.  She set a career best with 924 assists last season and currently sits 5th in program history with 2,571 career assists. 

In addition, TCU volunteer assistant Reilly Killeen will be returning to For Worth for a second season, and director of operations McKenzie Keenan will enjoy her eighth season at TCU, overseeing both the indoor and beach volleyball programs.    

If this staff were any more promising, we'd have to swear by them.  

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!

Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well. Download the KillerFrogs app on Google Play or in the Apple App Store.