Houston Christian University Athletics

Trent Herman was named the fifth head coach of the HCU volleyball program on May 7, 2012. He enters his 13^th season with a 211-162 record at the helm of the Huskies and a 254-195 overall career record.

The 2023 season saw the Huskies finish 19-13 overall and 13-5 in the Southland, qualifying for their 11th straight SLC Tournament and advancing to the tournament semifinals. Herman picked up his 200th HCU victory with a 3-0 sweep of Lamar on September 26. Two Huskies, senior Anna Gadway and junior Audrey Pearce each were named to the All-Conference for the third time in their careers. The Huskies were recipients of the AVCA Team Academic Award for the ninth time overall and seventh time in the last nine years. 

In 2022, Herman was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year and posted more than 20 wins for the fourth time in his tenure. Herman led the Huskies to a 23-11 overall record, the program’s highest win total under his guidance. The Huskies secured the SLC regular-season title with a 14-4 record and made their second consecutive postseason tournament appearance, participating in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. Four Huskies earned all-conference honors with Anna Gadway earning first team all-conference honors while Grace McLaughlin, Audrey Pearce, and Sara Arroyo earned second team all-conference honors.
 
Herman was named the 2021 Southland Conference Coach of the Year, leading the Huskies to a 21-9 overall mark and finishing second in the league with a 12-2 record. HCU tied its record for wins and made its first postseason tournament appearance since returning to NCAA Division I in 2007 and had its best-ever Southland finish. Five Huskies earned all-conference honors, with Ellie Wipf, Anna Gadway and Ebonie Ballesteros earning first-team recognition, as well as Kaley Feris and Audrey Pearce making the second team.
 
HCU went 8-4 to finish fifth in the Southland Conference and make its eighth-consecutive appearance in the conference tournament during the spring 2021 season. The Huskies advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the fifth time. Jada Allen, Mikayla Vivens, Wipf and Ballesteros earned all-conference honors. Vivens also became the sixth member of HBU’s 1,000 Kill-1,000 Dig Club.
 
In 2019, the Huskies recorded a 17-15 overall record and finished sixth in the Southland Conference with a 9-7 mark, before falling in the first round of the conference tournament. Vivens repeated as an all-conference selection.
 
In 2018, HCU had an even 16-16 record overall and tied for fifth at 8-8 in conference play. The Huskies advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament for a second-straight year. Kayla Davenport became the second HCU volleyball student-athlete to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American honors. Vivens was named first-team all-conference, while Madison O’Brien was a second-team selection.
 
HCU posted its second 20-win season under Herman in 2017, going 21-10 and making its best showing in the Southland Conference by tying for third with an 11-5 mark. The Huskies advanced to the semifinals of the Southland Conference Tournament. Jessica Wooten and Bailey Banks, who became the third and fourth members of HBU’s 1,000 Kill-1,000 Dig Club, respectively, earned All-Southland First Team honors and Academic All-Southland First Team honors. Blair Gillard earned second team all-conference honors and finished as the Southland’s all-time leader in block assists.
 
Herman guided the Huskies to an 18-15 record in 2016 and advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament by tying for fifth. The Huskies claimed tournament titles when they hosted the Barcelona Labor Day Classic, then went across town and won the Flo Hyman Collegiate Classic at the University of Houston. Banks and Kayla Armer were first-team all-conference selections, Gillard broke the SLC rally-scoring record for total blocks and was a second-team pick, while Ashlee Vann earned honorable mention.
 
HCU went 17-17 overall and 7-9 to finish sixth in the Southland for the third-straight time in 2015, but the Huskies got hot in the postseason and reached the championship match of the Southland Conference Tournament. The Huskies opened the season by winning their host tournament, the Marriott Houston Westchase Invitational. Herman picked up the 100th victory of his career in a 3-1 win over McNeese State at the Jaguar Invitational on Sept. 12, 2015. At the end of the season, Allison Doerpinghaus and Wooten were named second team All-SLC, while Armer and Banks garnered honorable mention. Banks was also named SLC Newcomer of the Year, the second-consecutive newcomer honor for HCU in as many seasons. Wooten and Gillard were named to the SLC All-Tournament team.
 
Academically, Armer and Doerpinghaus were named Academic All-SLC first team, while Doerpinghaus was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 First-Team and CoSIDA Academic All-America Third-Team selection. She became the first female to earn academic all-America honors for the HCU athletic department since making the transition to NCAA Division I play in 2007.
 
In 2014, HCU posted a 15-17 overall record and 9-7 mark in Southland Conference play. Herman led HCU to a sixth-place regular-season finish and a berth in the SLC Tournament, as Wooten was named first-team all-conference and Doerpinghaus was tabbed the SLC Newcomer of the Year. Armer earned honorable mention.
 
In 2013, Herman led the Huskies into their first season as a member of the Southland, going 14-17 overall and 9-9 in league play. HCU earned the sixth seed in the conference tournament and upset third-seeded Oral Roberts, before falling in the semifinals. Caiti Wenger and Madeline Gaffney each earned all-conference recognition, with Wenger making the first team and Gaffney claiming honorable mention.
 
Herman set the bar high in his first season with the Huskies in 2012, leading them to a 20-11 record and a share of the Great West Conference regular-season title. He was named GWC Co-Coach of the Year, landing four players on the all-conference teams, including three first-team selections, and GWC Player and Setter of the Year in Victoria Weatherly.
 
Herman also served as the head beach volleyball coach at HCU during the program’s first three seasons, helping the Huskies to a 7-11 record in their 2016 inaugural campaign, a 12-14 mark in their second year and 17-15, including the Southland Showcase title, in 2017. The Huskies’ number one pair of Aeriel Horton and Jessica Wooten and the number two combo of Kayla Armer and Tori Hinojosa each qualified for the USA Volleyball Beach Championships, with Horton and Wooten advancing to bracket play. Herman is now serving as the assistant beach volleyball coach.
 
Prior to HCU, Herman spent two years as head coach at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. In 2011, the Lady Celts posted a 19-17 overall record and finished fourth in their first season of Red River Athletic Conference competition. During his first season, UST set the school record with 24 wins and captured its third-straight Association of Independent Institutions Conference Championship. At the conclusion of the regular season, Herman was named coach of the year, four players were named to the all-conference team, including player of the year Casey Mulryan, who was also an all-region selection and honorable mention all-American.
 
Prior to UST, Herman spent three years as the technical director and coach at Absolute Volleyball Academy in League City, Texas, where his 18’s team won the Club National Championship in 2009, his 17’s team finished ninth in the Open National Championship in 2010 and fifth at the Club National Championship in 2011.
 
Herman was an assistant coach at Rice University from 2005-09, helping the Owls to an NCAA Tournament berth during the 2008 season. During his time at Rice, he coached four honorable mention all-Americans, six all-Region, 10 all-conference and five academic all-district selections.
 
Before coming to the Houston area, Herman was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Iowa State University from 2001-2005. The Cyclones’ 2004 recruiting class ranked among the top 30 nationally and the 2003 squad posted the program’s best finish in eight years. While at ISU, the team had 21 academic all-Big 12 and one academic All-America selection.
 
Herman, who earned his bachelor’s degree at Fort Hays State in 1999, began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Southwest State University in Marshall, Minnesota, where he was also the junior varsity head coach. The team posted two 20-win seasons and finished among the top three in the conference, with six all-conference performers. While at Southwest State, he also coach at Southwest Minnesota Juniors Volleyball Club.
 
Herman and his wife, Lee-Anne, reside in Kingwood and have a son, Treydon.