Texas Volleyball add new coach Ben Josephson

GoHorns1 · February 13

AUSTIN, Texas – A veteran of more than 20 years coaching at the collegiate and international levels in both men's and women's volleyball, Ben Jospehson is joining the Texas Volleyball staff as Associate Head Coach, Jerritt Elliott announced on Thursday afternoon. Josephson most-recently helped lead Kentucky to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Elite Eight runs, a pair of top-10 finishes and two SEC Championships in two seasons with the Wildcats. He replaces Erik Sullivan, who after 14 seasons with the Longhorns was named Team USA's Women's National Team Head Coach earlier this year.

"We are very excited to welcome Ben and his family to our program," Elliott said. "He's the perfect fit for this team and will help us continue to be one of the most elite programs in the NCAA. Ben's recent success at Kentucky, experience in both the men's and women's game, as well as his many years working in international volleyball brings a level of knowledge and excellence that will be invaluable as he helps us strive to continue to build on our success here. We're looking forward to what's to come and what Ben brings to our program."

Josephson joins the Longhorns staff after spending the 2023 and 2024 seasons in the same roll at the University of Kentucky. During his tenure in Lexington the Wildcats posted an overall record of 44-14, won the SEC Championship both years, advanced to the Regional Final in the NCAA Tournament and posted a No. 8 ranking in the final AVCA Poll in 2024 and finished the year ranked No. 10 in 2023.

"I've had the pleasure of getting to know the staff over the years and got to learn about the healthy culture and fun personality of the Longhorns program," Josephson said. "As a competitor, I got to see from across the net the precision and performance of the team. But as a fan, I admired the level of consistency Jerritt has kept the Texas program at for the last 20 years. It's truly remarkable and I'm excited to join the great legacy of the Texas Volleyball, see how we can build upon the recent successes and see what this exciting group of talented athletes in the gym can do."

Four Wildcats earned AVCA All-American honors in his time at UK, including recent Texas Ex Reagan Rutherford during the 2023 season. In 2024, Kentucky's outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye was named one of four finalists for the Honda Award for volleyball and was one of four finalists for the AVCA National Player of the Year.

"I want to thank the University of Kentucky and coach Craig Skinner for giving me the chance to be a part of their special program these past two years," Josephson said. "Our family loved our time in Lexington, and I loved coaching those amazing women even more."

Prior to his time in Lexington, Josephson was the head coach of Canada's Trinity Western men's volleyball program for 16 seasons. Josephson helped develop the TWU Spartans into of the most dominant men's program in North America. While at the helm of TWU, the team won the national championship five times (2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2019). He also helped guide TWU to five Canada West Championships (2012, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020) while Josephson's closed out his career there with nine-straight appearances in the conference tournament final.

Hailing from Strathmore, Alberta, Canada, Josephson also served as the Head Coach for the Canadian Men's National Team from 2021-22, helping Canada qualify for the 2022 Volleyball Nation's League. He previously served as an assistant with the Canadian Women's team in 2019-2020. Josephson was the head coach of Canada's Youth National team in 2015 and 2016.

As a player at Trinity Western, Josephson was the first-ever athlete to earn the All-Canadian honor in 2003 and was also named a Canada West First-Team All Star.

Josephson earned a Bachelor of Human Kinetics Degree from Trinity Western and earned a Certificate in Biblical Studies from Covenant Bible College in Strathmore. He and his wife, Jen, have three children: Cooper, Zeke and Gracie.

Edited February 13 by GoHorns1