Volleyball
Black, Tom
Tom Black
- Title:
- Head Coach
Head volleyball coach Tom Black will be in his ninth season at the helm of the Georgia volleyball program in 2025. Black was named the seventh head coach in the history of Georgia volleyball on Dec. 22, 2016. Black has taken Georgia to three NCAA Tournament appearances, mentored two All-Americans, an SEC Player of the Year, and five Bulldogs have earned nine All-SEC honors.
The 2024 season saw the Bulldogs finish with 12 wins overall and six in SEC play. Despite missing the NCAA Tournament, Georgia finished the season on a high note with wins over Mississippi State and 18th-ranked Florida. The win over the Gators capped amazing careers for All-American and 1,000-Kill Club member Sophie Fischer, 1,000 Dig-Club member Bailey Cox, and setter Clara Brower, who finished her career eighth all-time at Georgia with 3,713 assists. Erykah Lovett played her grad season in Athens in 2024, capping a Double Grand Club collegiate career. Fischer and Lovett collected 2024 All-SEC honors, and Fischer earned her third AVCA All-Region Team appointment.
Fischer and Lovett each signed professional contracts following the season. Fischer played for LOVB Salt Lake in the inaugural LOVB season, while Lovett played for CBL Costa Volpino in Italy.
The Bulldogs had a great academic year in the classroom as 11 student-athletes were appointed to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll and one to the SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll. Bianna Moneke and Ceci Gooch were also appointed to the CSC Academic All-District Team. The Bulldogs completed the Spring 2025 semester with a 3.57 GPA.
Georgia appeared in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament for the second straight season, for the first time in nearly 30 years, in 2023 after concluding the season 19-12. Black coached Sophie Fischer to AVCA Second Team All-America status while also becoming just the second Bulldog to be named the SEC Player of the Year. Fischer concluded the season as the nation's highest-scoring middle.
Along with Fischer, Kacie Evans was also named AVCA All-Region in her final season in the Red & Black. Evans concluded her career as one of the best Bulldogs in the history of the program. Evans was an All-American, multi-time All-SEC performer, was a member of the Double Grand Club (1,768 kills, 1,127 digs), and is just one of five in Georgia's 2,000 Point Club.
The 2023 season was highlighted by a pair of top-10 victories. Georgia went to Georgia Tech and took down the No. 10 Yellow Jackets in four sets on Sept. 15. The Bulldogs then swept No. 8 Arkansas at Stegeman Coliseum on Nov. 1. The win notched first time in program history beating two top-10 opponents in the same season and the first time since 1993 the Bulldogs beat two ranked opponents in a season. The win over Arkansas was the sixth-ranked victory in the Tom Black era. The season concluded in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against Arizona State in Provo, Utah.
The Bulldogs reached new heights in 2022, concluding the season 23-8 overall. 22 regular season wins were the most since 2013. Georgia's 13-5 SEC record was good enough for third-place in the league, Georgia's best finish since 1995 and the most SEC victories in program history. The feat earned Black 2022 SEC Coach of the Year. 2022 was the third season the Bulldogs eclipsed the 20-win mark in six seasons under Black (2017, 2019, 2022). Georgia was picked to finish ninth by the league's head coaches before the season after finishing 12-17 in 2021 and 7-9 in SEC play. The season featured a marquee victory over No. 11 Florida in a sweep in Gainesville.
The season concluded with Georgia's 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, drawing eighth-seeded Towson in the opening round. The Bulldogs defeated the Tigers in four sets, Georgia's first NCAA postseason victory since 1995. Georgia fell to top-seeded Texas in the second round in Austin to bring an end to the season.
The 2022 campaign saw Evans become the fourth Bulldog in program history to earn AVCA All-America status, landing a spot on the third team. Junior Fischer was an All-America honorable mention. Evans and Fischer each earned AVCA Southeast All-Region Team and All-SEC honors. It was the first time since 1995 that two Georgia Bulldogs (Hadli Anstine, Nikki Nicholson) earned All-Region honors in the same season. Evans became the first Bulldog to be named a two-time All-SEC player since Valentina Gonzalez in 2009 and 2010.
Additional honors in 2022 included Sage Powell's third appointment to the SEC Volleyball Community Service Team, as well as being awarded the SEC Brad Davis Community Service Award. Meghan Froemming and Bailey Cox also garnered CSC Academic All-District honors in the classroom.
Black and the Bulldogs concluded the 2021 season 12-17 overall and 8-10 in SEC play. Following a tough non-conference slate, Georgia went on to earn conference victories over Texas A&M, Auburn, Ole Miss, and LSU, including series sweeps of Missouri and Alabama. The Bulldogs' eight SEC wins finished eighth in the league in 2021. Georgia's schedule finished 35th in strength of schedule in 2021, one of the toughest among SEC opponents, playing six ranked opponents. At the service line, Georgia continued to shine in 2021, ranking second in the SEC with 1.46 aces per set and 167 total aces, led by Amber Stivrins' 47 aces on the season.
The 2020-21 season featured a conference-only slate of 22 matches. The Bulldogs split the fall portion of the season, going 4-4. A milestone victory came on Nov. 21 in Gainesville, Florida, when the Bulldogs defeated then-No. 5 Florida in four sets. Not only was it the first win against Florida since 2008, it was the first win in Gainesville since 1986, and the first win over a top-10 opponent since the same win against Florida in 2008 when the Gators were ranked No. 8. It became the program’s highest-ever ranked win and first over a top-5 opponent.
Georgia concluded the 2020-21 campaign 8-14. Black and the Bulldogs finished the season on a high note, winning three of their last four matches of the season, including taking two against Ole Miss in the final home series. Phoebe Awoleye was tabbed All-Freshman Team by the SEC. Awoleye finished fifth in the league with 1.05 blocks per set. She became the third All-Freshman Team pick of Black’s tenure at Georgia. As a team, the Bulldogs’ blocking game saw its best performance under Black’s guidance in 2020-21, finishing the season with 2.25 blocks per set, ranking fourth in the SEC.
Black guided the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019 since Georgia’s previous trip in 2013. Georgia concluded the season with a 20-10 record overall and a 12-6 clip in Southeastern Conference play. It was the second time Georgia eclipsed the 20-win mark under Black. The last time the Bulldogs had a pair of 20-win seasons in three years was 1995 and 1997.
Led by 2019 SEC Freshman of the Year Kacie Evans, the Bulldogs finished third in the league in kills per set (13.83) and hit .232 as a team. All-SEC setter Meghan Donovan dished out 1,271 assists. Donovan, along with Kendall Glover, became the newest members of Georgia’s 1,000-Dig Club in 2019. Junior Rachel Ritchie notched her 1,000th kill in 2019, becoming the 18th member of Georgia’s 1,000-Kill Club. The season was highlighted by a road victory over No. 12 Kentucky. A six-match SEC winning streak, including the win over the Wildcats, was the longest in league play by Georgia since 2008. Georgia earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and drew Cal Poly at No. 3 Stanford. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead on the Mustangs but fell in five sets in the First Round.
Off the court, the Bulldogs were just as strong in the classroom during the 2019-20 year. The team earned its first AVCA Team Academic Award and was recognized by the NCAA in the annual NCAA APR report. Seven members of the team earned spots on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, and all four members of the freshman class appeared on the SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll.
The 2018 season saw the Bulldogs finish over .500 for the second-straight season. The 2017 and 2018 seasons were the first back-to-back winning seasons since 2008 and 2009. Georgia concluded the 2018 campaign with a 15-14 overall record. The season began on a seven-match winning streak capped by a four-set victory over No. 24 Colorado on the Buffs’ home court. It was the first win over a ranked opponent since 2013. The non-conference slate ended with a 9-2 record.
In February 2019, Black was named the head coach of the Canadian Women’s National Team. Volleyball Canada won the FIVB Women’s Challenger in Lima, Peru, in June, qualifying for the Nations League Tournament in 2020. Black stepped down from the position at the end of 2020 to focus on Georgia and the Spring 2021 season.
In his first season at the helm, Black took a Georgia team that had one Southeastern Conference win in two seasons to a fifth-place finish in the league. The Bulldogs concluded the 2017 campaign with a 22-12 overall record and a 10-8 SEC clip. Finishing fifth, the Bulldogs clinched an automatic bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), advancing to the semifinal round.
Under Black’s instruction, the 2017 team finished second in the SEC in kills per set (13.75), fourth in hitting percentage (.243), and first in aces per set (1.57). In all, the Bulldogs finished in the top four of every offensive category in the conference. In RPI, Georgia made one of the greatest turnarounds from the prior season, jumping 132 spots to 57.
Before Georgia
Black, an accomplished collegiate and international coach, was named the seventh head coach of the Georgia volleyball program in December of 2016.
Black came to Athens with 12 years of NCAA collegiate head coaching experience with time at UC San Diego and Loyola Marymount, accumulating a career record of 242-115 after posting six seasons with 20-plus wins.
Working with some of the top athletes in the country, Black was extremely active with the U.S. Women’s National Team, working alongside U.S. head coach Karch Kiraly. Black most recently served on the staff at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as an assistant coach, as the United States garnered a bronze medal.
Black spent seven seasons at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, leading the Lions to 127 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2015 after upsetting No. 13 Colorado State and No. 6 Stanford. His team notched back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, the Lions entered the AVCA Top 25 Poll at No. 23 and held a national ranking for five weeks.
During his stint, 21 student-athletes earned All-West Coast Conference honors while he oversaw four AVCA All-America selections and six AVCA All-Region picks. Black saw one of his players earn the WCC Defensive Player of the Year in four of the last six years while also garnering AVCA Region Freshman of the Year in 2014.
Prior to LMU, Black served at the helm of Division II UC San Diego women’s team for five seasons. Black went 115-29 with the Tritons and had his team ranked in the AVCA national poll every week for his final four seasons. UCSD ranked as high as No. 2 in 2009 while finishing in the top 10 in two seasons. The 2006 Tachikara/AVCA D-II Pacific Region Coach of the Year, Black coached 20 All-Conference honorees as well as four All-America selections.
Black's involvement with the U.S. Women’s National Team culminated in his selection as an assistant coach with the team in March of 2013. Black was with the team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, helping guide the United States to a bronze medal. Black also assisted with Team USA prior to the team winning its first world championship gold medal at the FIVB World Championship in October 2014 while the team went on to win the 2015 World Grand Prix Championship and a Bronze Medal at the World Cup.
Before being named as an assistant within the program, Black spent three summers as a consultant coach as the National Team prepared for the 2012 London Games.
Prior to his time at UCSD, Black spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the men’s volleyball program at USC. He also served as the men’s head coach at Pierce Junior College and Thousand Oaks High School as well as an assistant for Pierce Junior College’s women’s team and Royal High School’s boy’s team.
Black received his bachelor’s degree in political science from UCSD in 1996 where he was also a four-year letterwinner, setting numerous hitting records and earning All-MPSF honorable mention honors as a senior in 1996. The California native was Volleyball Magazine’s Small College Player of the Year in 1996, while also earning Small College All-America honors that same year.
Black and his wife, Crystal, have two daughters, Kylin and Emerson.
The 2024 season saw the Bulldogs finish with 12 wins overall and six in SEC play. Despite missing the NCAA Tournament, Georgia finished the season on a high note with wins over Mississippi State and 18th-ranked Florida. The win over the Gators capped amazing careers for All-American and 1,000-Kill Club member Sophie Fischer, 1,000 Dig-Club member Bailey Cox, and setter Clara Brower, who finished her career eighth all-time at Georgia with 3,713 assists. Erykah Lovett played her grad season in Athens in 2024, capping a Double Grand Club collegiate career. Fischer and Lovett collected 2024 All-SEC honors, and Fischer earned her third AVCA All-Region Team appointment.
Fischer and Lovett each signed professional contracts following the season. Fischer played for LOVB Salt Lake in the inaugural LOVB season, while Lovett played for CBL Costa Volpino in Italy.
The Bulldogs had a great academic year in the classroom as 11 student-athletes were appointed to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll and one to the SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll. Bianna Moneke and Ceci Gooch were also appointed to the CSC Academic All-District Team. The Bulldogs completed the Spring 2025 semester with a 3.57 GPA.
Georgia appeared in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament for the second straight season, for the first time in nearly 30 years, in 2023 after concluding the season 19-12. Black coached Sophie Fischer to AVCA Second Team All-America status while also becoming just the second Bulldog to be named the SEC Player of the Year. Fischer concluded the season as the nation's highest-scoring middle.
Along with Fischer, Kacie Evans was also named AVCA All-Region in her final season in the Red & Black. Evans concluded her career as one of the best Bulldogs in the history of the program. Evans was an All-American, multi-time All-SEC performer, was a member of the Double Grand Club (1,768 kills, 1,127 digs), and is just one of five in Georgia's 2,000 Point Club.
The 2023 season was highlighted by a pair of top-10 victories. Georgia went to Georgia Tech and took down the No. 10 Yellow Jackets in four sets on Sept. 15. The Bulldogs then swept No. 8 Arkansas at Stegeman Coliseum on Nov. 1. The win notched first time in program history beating two top-10 opponents in the same season and the first time since 1993 the Bulldogs beat two ranked opponents in a season. The win over Arkansas was the sixth-ranked victory in the Tom Black era. The season concluded in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against Arizona State in Provo, Utah.
The Bulldogs reached new heights in 2022, concluding the season 23-8 overall. 22 regular season wins were the most since 2013. Georgia's 13-5 SEC record was good enough for third-place in the league, Georgia's best finish since 1995 and the most SEC victories in program history. The feat earned Black 2022 SEC Coach of the Year. 2022 was the third season the Bulldogs eclipsed the 20-win mark in six seasons under Black (2017, 2019, 2022). Georgia was picked to finish ninth by the league's head coaches before the season after finishing 12-17 in 2021 and 7-9 in SEC play. The season featured a marquee victory over No. 11 Florida in a sweep in Gainesville.
The season concluded with Georgia's 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, drawing eighth-seeded Towson in the opening round. The Bulldogs defeated the Tigers in four sets, Georgia's first NCAA postseason victory since 1995. Georgia fell to top-seeded Texas in the second round in Austin to bring an end to the season.
The 2022 campaign saw Evans become the fourth Bulldog in program history to earn AVCA All-America status, landing a spot on the third team. Junior Fischer was an All-America honorable mention. Evans and Fischer each earned AVCA Southeast All-Region Team and All-SEC honors. It was the first time since 1995 that two Georgia Bulldogs (Hadli Anstine, Nikki Nicholson) earned All-Region honors in the same season. Evans became the first Bulldog to be named a two-time All-SEC player since Valentina Gonzalez in 2009 and 2010.
Additional honors in 2022 included Sage Powell's third appointment to the SEC Volleyball Community Service Team, as well as being awarded the SEC Brad Davis Community Service Award. Meghan Froemming and Bailey Cox also garnered CSC Academic All-District honors in the classroom.
Black and the Bulldogs concluded the 2021 season 12-17 overall and 8-10 in SEC play. Following a tough non-conference slate, Georgia went on to earn conference victories over Texas A&M, Auburn, Ole Miss, and LSU, including series sweeps of Missouri and Alabama. The Bulldogs' eight SEC wins finished eighth in the league in 2021. Georgia's schedule finished 35th in strength of schedule in 2021, one of the toughest among SEC opponents, playing six ranked opponents. At the service line, Georgia continued to shine in 2021, ranking second in the SEC with 1.46 aces per set and 167 total aces, led by Amber Stivrins' 47 aces on the season.
The 2020-21 season featured a conference-only slate of 22 matches. The Bulldogs split the fall portion of the season, going 4-4. A milestone victory came on Nov. 21 in Gainesville, Florida, when the Bulldogs defeated then-No. 5 Florida in four sets. Not only was it the first win against Florida since 2008, it was the first win in Gainesville since 1986, and the first win over a top-10 opponent since the same win against Florida in 2008 when the Gators were ranked No. 8. It became the program’s highest-ever ranked win and first over a top-5 opponent.
Georgia concluded the 2020-21 campaign 8-14. Black and the Bulldogs finished the season on a high note, winning three of their last four matches of the season, including taking two against Ole Miss in the final home series. Phoebe Awoleye was tabbed All-Freshman Team by the SEC. Awoleye finished fifth in the league with 1.05 blocks per set. She became the third All-Freshman Team pick of Black’s tenure at Georgia. As a team, the Bulldogs’ blocking game saw its best performance under Black’s guidance in 2020-21, finishing the season with 2.25 blocks per set, ranking fourth in the SEC.
Black guided the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019 since Georgia’s previous trip in 2013. Georgia concluded the season with a 20-10 record overall and a 12-6 clip in Southeastern Conference play. It was the second time Georgia eclipsed the 20-win mark under Black. The last time the Bulldogs had a pair of 20-win seasons in three years was 1995 and 1997.
Led by 2019 SEC Freshman of the Year Kacie Evans, the Bulldogs finished third in the league in kills per set (13.83) and hit .232 as a team. All-SEC setter Meghan Donovan dished out 1,271 assists. Donovan, along with Kendall Glover, became the newest members of Georgia’s 1,000-Dig Club in 2019. Junior Rachel Ritchie notched her 1,000th kill in 2019, becoming the 18th member of Georgia’s 1,000-Kill Club. The season was highlighted by a road victory over No. 12 Kentucky. A six-match SEC winning streak, including the win over the Wildcats, was the longest in league play by Georgia since 2008. Georgia earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and drew Cal Poly at No. 3 Stanford. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead on the Mustangs but fell in five sets in the First Round.
Off the court, the Bulldogs were just as strong in the classroom during the 2019-20 year. The team earned its first AVCA Team Academic Award and was recognized by the NCAA in the annual NCAA APR report. Seven members of the team earned spots on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, and all four members of the freshman class appeared on the SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll.
The 2018 season saw the Bulldogs finish over .500 for the second-straight season. The 2017 and 2018 seasons were the first back-to-back winning seasons since 2008 and 2009. Georgia concluded the 2018 campaign with a 15-14 overall record. The season began on a seven-match winning streak capped by a four-set victory over No. 24 Colorado on the Buffs’ home court. It was the first win over a ranked opponent since 2013. The non-conference slate ended with a 9-2 record.
In February 2019, Black was named the head coach of the Canadian Women’s National Team. Volleyball Canada won the FIVB Women’s Challenger in Lima, Peru, in June, qualifying for the Nations League Tournament in 2020. Black stepped down from the position at the end of 2020 to focus on Georgia and the Spring 2021 season.
In his first season at the helm, Black took a Georgia team that had one Southeastern Conference win in two seasons to a fifth-place finish in the league. The Bulldogs concluded the 2017 campaign with a 22-12 overall record and a 10-8 SEC clip. Finishing fifth, the Bulldogs clinched an automatic bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), advancing to the semifinal round.
Under Black’s instruction, the 2017 team finished second in the SEC in kills per set (13.75), fourth in hitting percentage (.243), and first in aces per set (1.57). In all, the Bulldogs finished in the top four of every offensive category in the conference. In RPI, Georgia made one of the greatest turnarounds from the prior season, jumping 132 spots to 57.
Before Georgia
Black, an accomplished collegiate and international coach, was named the seventh head coach of the Georgia volleyball program in December of 2016.
Black came to Athens with 12 years of NCAA collegiate head coaching experience with time at UC San Diego and Loyola Marymount, accumulating a career record of 242-115 after posting six seasons with 20-plus wins.
Working with some of the top athletes in the country, Black was extremely active with the U.S. Women’s National Team, working alongside U.S. head coach Karch Kiraly. Black most recently served on the staff at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as an assistant coach, as the United States garnered a bronze medal.
Black spent seven seasons at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, leading the Lions to 127 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2015 after upsetting No. 13 Colorado State and No. 6 Stanford. His team notched back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, the Lions entered the AVCA Top 25 Poll at No. 23 and held a national ranking for five weeks.
During his stint, 21 student-athletes earned All-West Coast Conference honors while he oversaw four AVCA All-America selections and six AVCA All-Region picks. Black saw one of his players earn the WCC Defensive Player of the Year in four of the last six years while also garnering AVCA Region Freshman of the Year in 2014.
Prior to LMU, Black served at the helm of Division II UC San Diego women’s team for five seasons. Black went 115-29 with the Tritons and had his team ranked in the AVCA national poll every week for his final four seasons. UCSD ranked as high as No. 2 in 2009 while finishing in the top 10 in two seasons. The 2006 Tachikara/AVCA D-II Pacific Region Coach of the Year, Black coached 20 All-Conference honorees as well as four All-America selections.
Black's involvement with the U.S. Women’s National Team culminated in his selection as an assistant coach with the team in March of 2013. Black was with the team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, helping guide the United States to a bronze medal. Black also assisted with Team USA prior to the team winning its first world championship gold medal at the FIVB World Championship in October 2014 while the team went on to win the 2015 World Grand Prix Championship and a Bronze Medal at the World Cup.
Before being named as an assistant within the program, Black spent three summers as a consultant coach as the National Team prepared for the 2012 London Games.
Prior to his time at UCSD, Black spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the men’s volleyball program at USC. He also served as the men’s head coach at Pierce Junior College and Thousand Oaks High School as well as an assistant for Pierce Junior College’s women’s team and Royal High School’s boy’s team.
Black received his bachelor’s degree in political science from UCSD in 1996 where he was also a four-year letterwinner, setting numerous hitting records and earning All-MPSF honorable mention honors as a senior in 1996. The California native was Volleyball Magazine’s Small College Player of the Year in 1996, while also earning Small College All-America honors that same year.
Black and his wife, Crystal, have two daughters, Kylin and Emerson.
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