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Entering his 12th season as an NCAA head coach, Matt Sonnichsen has posted a 159-161 (.497) record, winning 20 or more matches on three occasions and has led his teams to five winning seasons. He enters his third season at the helm of the Louisiana Tech volleyball program, posting a 19-42 overall record.
Last season, Sonnichsen's squad finished 15-18 overall, finishing eighth in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) with a 4-12 record. The 15 wins marked the most overall for the Louisiana Tech program since 2005 and was an 11-game improvement from the 2008 season when the Lady Techsters finished with a 4-24 record. The four WAC victories tied the program record and matched the total number of conference wins over the previous five seasons combined.
Prior to joining the Louisiana Tech staff, Sonnichsen spent one season at Newberry College where he played in an integral role in perhaps one of the biggest turnarounds in the history of the South Atlantic Conference. After the Lady Indians finished 4-30 in 2006, Sonnichsen's 2007 squad finished with a 19-9 overall record and a fourth place finish in the league. The 19 wins marked the most in program history since Newberry joined the NCAA in 1991.
In 2006, Sonnichsen spent time at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa where he was an assistant coach under his father, Tom. Before joining his father at Grinnell, Sonnichsen was the top assistant coach at the University of California at Santa Barbara. While at UCSB, he was responsible for team training, international student-athlete recruitment, and team travel.
Perhaps his most impressive coaching stint was during his eight seasons at Tulsa where he compiled a 121-110 (.524) record, leading the Golden Hurricanes to three 20-win seasons. During his tenure at TU, his teams established numerous school records, including the best start in school history (11-0 in 2000). Although the Golden Hurricanes accomplished many feats on the court, they excelled in the classroom as well. Under Sonnichsen's direction, his players earned AVCA Academic All-America honors as a team for five consecutive years (1999-2003). Sonnichsen left TU following the 2005 season and remains the winningest coach in school history.
Before entering the coaching field, the Spring, Texas native was a standout four-year letterwinner at UCLA, where he was a three-time All-American setter and led the Bruins to NCAA Championships in both 1987 and 1989. After competing with the U.S. Senior National Team at the 1990 Goodwill Games, he went on to play professionally for four years (1992-95) on the AVP tour as well as in the Swiss indoor league.
Sonnichsen earned his bachelor's degree in economics from UCLA in 1989. He is married to the former Stacy Smith, and they have one daughter, Jane.
