After a 1-17 SEC season saw Rick Nold gone, Auburn has hired Brent Crouch as the new head coach of volleyball.
Athletic director Allen Greene made the announcement Tuesday.
"We are excited to welcome Brent, his wife Marcy and sons Jonathan and William into the Auburn family,” Greene said. “Brent is a well-respected teacher, motivator and tactician which have guided him throughout his accomplished coaching career. Most importantly, we feel that Brent's leadership will further enhance the Auburn experience for our student athletes. We look forward to the development and growth of the Auburn volleyball program under Brent in the years to come."
Crouch spent the past two seasons at University of Southern California, leading it to two straight NCAA second-round appearances. The Trojans also finished the season No. 21 in 2018 after a 22-11 season that included playing 18 ranked opponents. In 2019 they went 18-14 behind an impressive performance from outside hitter, Khalia Lanier.
While at USC, Crouch had outside hitter Emilia Weske named to the Pac 12’s All-Freshman Team and blocker Jasmine Gross also collected All-Pac-12 honors.
Crouch now takes over for an Auburn team that struggled mightily in 2019, only getting one SEC win against Alabama.
"The first words Allen Greene spoke when I asked him what makes Auburn special were, with no hesitation, 'The Auburn Family. It's a real thing here,'" Crouch said. "Over the past several weeks of getting to know Auburn and the athletic department, I came to learn some of what he meant. This is an elite athletic program, and yet it is as warm, hospitable and passionate as any place I have been. From the beginning, Brant Ust and his wife Jessica, Joy Vrbka, and Allen and Christy Greene made my wife Marcy and I feel right at home. A heartfelt thanks to each of them. I can't wait to experience the full force of the Auburn Family at the next competition on campus."
Turning a team around isn’t something new to Crouch, though.
Before his time at USC, he took over at the University of Portland for a team that had just gone 0-27. In Crouch’s first season the team went 7-23; it went 16-15 the following season and then 17-13 in 2016. His 2017 team dealt with injuries but was still able to put together a 15-15 season. Crouch’s 2016 season was the winningest season in 25 years for the University of Portland.
Along with his collegiate experience Crouch has spent time working with the USA volleyball teams. Crouch was an assistant to the 2016 women’s team that took home a gold medal at the 2016 U22 Global Challenge.
Crouch will take over a team losing only two seniors but a lot of improvement to work on after the 2019 season.
"Volleyball in the SEC is on the rise, and it is only a matter of time before it leads the country," Crouch said. "I want to be at the forefront of that growth. Auburn volleyball is ready to take off, and I'm excited to partner with the department to ensure this happens. Once I knew I was aligned with the core values, mission and the specific vision of volleyball at Auburn outlined by Allen Greene, it was a simple decision to come on board.
"The Auburn family is going to see a volleyball program playing a fast, aggressive style of volleyball and to continue to develop young student athletes at the highest level on and off the court. I expect us to be earning a bid to the NCAA tournament very soon, and I know our athletes are up for that challenge. It's a great time to be an Auburn Tiger."
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