HOUSTON – Houston Baptist University has named Trent Herman as the fifth head volleyball coach in program history, Director of Athletics Steve Moniaci announced Monday.
 
“We are extremely pleased to add Trent Herman as our new head volleyball coach,” Moniaci said. “He has been a successful coach and recruiter in the Houston area for many years and has built an outstanding reputation among both high school and club coaches. I believe his energy and experience, along with the network he has already established here, will be a tremendous boost to our volleyball program.”
 
“I want to thank Dr. Sloan, Steve Moniaci and the search committee for this opportunity,” Herman said. “My family and I are really excited to be a part of the HBU community. I'm looking forward to this team making a final run at a Great West Conference championship, then moving forward as we transition into the Southland Conference.”
 
Herman replaces Kaddie Platt, who accepted the head coaching position at the University of Houston after 17 years as head coach at HBU, her alma mater.
 
Herman has spent the last two years as head coach at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. This past season, 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. 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 an 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 during the 2008. 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, Minn., 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 one-year old son, Treydon.