UO release - EUGENE, Ore. – Trent Kersten has been named the next head coach of the Oregon volleyball program as announced Monday by UO athletic director Rob Mullens. Kersten, the 2024 WCC Coach of the Year, is coming off a standout season at Loyola Marymount where he led the Lions to the WCC Championship and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. "We are thrilled to welcome Trent, Tara, Kolbie, and Reese to the University of Oregon," Mullens said. "Trent is a strong leader with a proven track record of excellence. His commitment to the student-athlete experience, building a championship culture, and strategically implementing technology represent the right fit for Oregon Volleyball, and we have an exciting future ahead under Trent's leadership." Kersten spent the past two seasons at LMU where he was 45-12 overall with a 29-5 record in conference play. In those two years, he coached his LMU student-athletes to 13 All-WCC selections, seven WCC All-Academic performers and an AVCA Honorable Mention All-America certificate. Overall, Kersten carries a 92-40 record in five seasons as a head coach. He spent three seasons as the head coach at San Jose State (2020-22). "It is an honor to lead the Oregon Volleyball program and join such a passionate and driven athletic community," Kersten said. "I want to thank Director of Athletics Rob Mullens, Deputy Athletic Director Val Johnson, and the entire search committee for trusting me with this incredible opportunity. Oregon's commitment to excellence, both on and off the court, is truly special, and I am excited to build upon the strong history that has been established here. I look forward to getting to know the team, connecting with alumni, and engaging with the incredible Ducks fan base. I can't wait to get started. Go Ducks! "The opportunity to compete in the Big Ten, the premier volleyball conference in the country, is incredibly exciting. The level of competition, the passion of the fans, and the national stage that the Big Ten provides will push us to be at our best every single day. I am eager to embrace the challenge and help Oregon Volleyball thrive in this new era." This past season at LMU, Kersten led the Lions to a 25-6 record and their first West Coast Conference title since 1996. The 25 wins marked the most by the program since 2003 and the team's 16 conference wins were the most in program history. Among the wins, LMU beat eventual-NCAA national seed SMU during the non-conference season and took down Washington in five sets in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Individually, Kersten coached LMU outside hitter Paige Flickinger to AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region and All-America accolades. He also saw Sam Hastings and Mia Schafer named WCC Libero and Co-Setter of the Year, respectively. In his first season at the helm of the LMU program in 2023, Kersten led the Lions to a 20-6 overall record—its first since 2018—and a 13-3 tally in WCC play. Among the highlights, the team secured a season sweep of nationally ranked San Diego and clinched a runner-up finish in the WCC standings, its highest league finish since 2018. Before his time in Los Angeles, Kersten began his career as a head coach at San Jose State where he was 47-28 overall and helped the Spartans to a runner-up finish in the Mountain West Conference in 2022. One of the rising young coaches in the sport, Kersten built the San Jose State program into a Mountain West Conference contender during his tenure. The Spartans finished 2022 at 21-9 with a 14-4 record in conference play. The 14 wins in the Mountain West—good for a runner-up finish—were the most in program history, just surpassing the previous high of 13 set the year prior in Kersten's second year on the bench. In 2022, San Jose State earned the No. 2 seed in the Mountain West Tournament and collected three all-tournament honors on its way to an appearance in the final. Kersten also coached 11 All-MWC picks and 20 Academic All-Conference performers. Prior to his time at San Jose State, Kersten spent five seasons on the TCU coaching staff, where the team played in the postseason four of the five years. As the recruiting coordinator, his 2019 class was ranked fifth in the nation by Volleyball Magazine and sixth by Prep Volleyball. Active in the USA Volleyball High Performance programs, Kersten has assisted in developing athletes ages 12 to 18. Kersten's 2019 team won a gold medal at the High-Performance Championships and he was selected to the 2020 U.S. Girls Youth National Training Team coaching staff as an assistant coach. He has also assisted at the USA Volleyball Women's National Team Open Program tryouts and was an assistant coach at the 2021 USA Volleyball National Team Development Program Winter Training Series. Kersten played three seasons at UCLA under legendary men's coaches Al Scates and John Speraw, the current president and CEO of USA Volleyball. As a walk-on, Kersten was a three-year starter and earned a scholarship during his playing career. A 2015 All-MPSF honorable mention selection, he ranked among the nation's top 15 in hitting percentage (.387) and blocks per set (1.08) in his final year. Additionally, Kersten has extensive experience working with club teams in California and Texas. Kersten graduated from UCLA in June of 2015 with a bachelor's degree in geography and environmental studies. He and his wife, Tara, have two daughters, Kolbie and Reese. For more news and information about Oregon Volleyball, follow @OregonVB on Instagram and X, and @OregonVolleyball on Facebook.