Chris Catanach
Head CoachAlma Mater: Tampa, 1983
E-mail: ccatanach@ut.edu
Office Phone: 813-257-3406
University of Tampa head volleyball coach Chris Catanach is in his 27th season in charge of the Spartan program, leading the team to one of the elite programs in the country with 18 Sunshine State Conference titles, 24 NCAA appearances, 12 trips to the Elite Eight, two national runner-up finishes and the 2006 NCAA II national championship.
Sporting a 26-year career record of 810-154, he earned his 300th victory in just eight years (Oct. 28, 1992 vs. North Florida) and averages 31.2 victories per season. Nationally, Catanach's .840 career winning percentage ranks third among the winningest active NCAA II coaches while his 810 total victories rank second among active NCAA II coaches.
Catanach is coming off a 2009 campaign where he guided his squad to its 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament while capturing its fifth straight Sunshine State Conference title. Melissa Vanderhall also became the third player in SSC history to win consecutive SSC Player of the Year honors as she also repeated as the Daktronics South Region Player of the Year.
The 2009 South Region Coach of the Year has now coached a record 41 All-Americans with at least one selection in 14 straight seasons. He also became the fourth coach in NCAA Division II history to reach 800 career victories, accomplishing the feat on Oct. 23, 2009 versus Lynn University at Homecoming.
In 2008, he led his squad to the NCAA tournament as it won the SSC championship for the fourth consecutive season. Camila Saade and Melissa Vanderhall also captured ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Honors as Vanderhall was also the SSC and South Region Player of the Year while being an All-American. His efforts garnered him 2008 SSC and South Region Coach of the Year accolades.
He led his team to the 2007 NCAA South Regional title and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the third straight year. He also coached four individuals to All-American honors as Erin Clark captured SSC Player of the Year Honors.
In 2006, he made history while guiding his Spartan squad to a 35-1 season and capturing the program’s first NCAA II national championship with a 3-1 victory over North Alabama in the title game. He was also named National Coach of the Year as four of his players were named All-American.
In 1991, Catanach became the first and volleyball coach in the Sunshine State Conference to earn National Coach of the Year honors. In 1993, he was inducted into the Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame while also being a member of the UT Hall of Fame Class of 2002. He has been named the SSC Coach-of-the-Year 12 times in his 24 year career, most by any coach in league history. Catanach has also been named the South Region Coach of the Year 10 times.
Catanach took over a program that was just five years old in 1984 and posted a 32-4 record in his first year as a coach. Two years later, his squad earned a school record 41 victories. He has seen 16 of his players earn a total of 28 All-America selections, including 10 first-team members to go with numerous all-region and all-conference selections. While signing some of the area’s and state's top players, his recruiting philosophy is "to go where the players are" which has led him from California to the Caribbean.
Academic success is given as much consideration as athletic prowess and Catanach can lay claim that over 95 percent of his recruited athletes complete their degree requirements at UT while five have earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. In addition to earning All-America honors, Dawn Rawlins (1995-99) was twice honored as the SSC Scholar Athlete-of-the- Year and four-year All-America Danielle Faggion (1996-2000) was the 1999-2000 SSC Female Athlete-of-the-Year.
Catanach is a member of the NCAA II Volleyball Committee and is a voter for the AVCA top 25. In addition to his coaching duties, Catanach held the position of interim athletic director in 1989 and served as an assistant athletic director from 1998-2004 with NCAA compliance related duties.
A native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Catanach was the recipient of the University's award for the outstanding physical education graduate. Prior to becoming head coach, he worked for one year as an admissions representative for UT.
Chris is married to Linda, who played basketball and volleyball at UT from 1979-83. In 1988, she became the second woman to be inducted into the UT Athletic Hall of Fame. The couple has two daughters, Kellie and Tina.
Chris Catanach's Collegiate Coaching Career
| Year | Team | Record | Postseason |
| 1984 | Tampa | 32-4 | NCAA South Region |
| 1985 | Tampa | 41-7 | NCAA South Region |
| 1986 | Tampa | 34-7 | |
| 1987 | Tampa | 37-4 | NCAA South Region |
| 1988 | Tampa | 40-3 | NCAA Quarterfinalist |
| 1989 | Tampa | 28-13 | NCAA South Region |
| 1990 | Tampa | 33-11 | NCAA South Region |
| 1991 | Tampa | 38-5 | NCAA South Region |
| 1992 | Tampa | 27-9 | NCAA South Region |
| 1993 | Tampa | 29-7 | NCAA Quarterfinalist |
| 1994 | Tampa | 29-9 | NCAA South Region |
| 1995 | Tampa | 22-17 | |
| 1996 | Tampa | 33-7 | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 1997 | Tampa | 31-2 | NCAA South Region |
| 1998 | Tampa | 32-3 | NCAA Semifinalist |
| 1999 | Tampa | 32-5 | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2000 | Tampa | 29-4 | NCAA Quarterfinalist |
| 2001 | Tampa | 27-4 | NCAA South Region |
| 2002 | Tampa | 28-7 | NCAA Semifinalist |
| 2003 | Tampa | 31-4 | NCAA Quarterfinalist |
| 2004 | Tampa | 24-6 | NCAA South Region |
| 2005 | Tampa | 29-4 | NCAA Semifinalist |
| 2006 | Tampa | 35-1 | NCAA National Champions |
| 2007 | Tampa | 31-3 | NCAA Quarterfinalist |
| 2008 | Tampa | 27-5 | NCAA South Region |
| 2009 | Tampa | 31-3 | NCAA Quarterfinalist |
| Totals | 26 seasons | 810-154 | 24 NCAA Appearances |
