CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M Vice President of Athletics Doug Lipinski has announced the hiring of three-time National Champion and NJCAA Hall of Famer Terry Gamble as the 17^th head coach in Lady Buff Volleyball history.
 
"We are excited to have Terry lead our volleyball program, he understands the pride and tradition of Lady Buff volleyball. Terry has 30 years of championship experience and has won at every step of his career. He is a proven winner and has showcased the ability to develop student-athletes on the court and in the classroom" said Lipinski.
 
Gamble comes to Canyon following seven seasons at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. This past season the Buccaneers went 38-4 with an unbeaten 14-0 mark in Region XIV action. Blinn claimed victories over Panola College and Navarro College to win the Region XIV Tournament, advancing to the NJCAA Division I Championships in Clarksville, Tennessee. Gamble was named the Regional Coach of the Year for the third time, leading Blinn College to their fifth straight NJCAA National Tournament.
 
"I want to thank Doug Lipinski, Kimberly Dudley, the search committee and the administration at WT for trusting me with one of the top volleyball programs in the country" said Gamble "I also want to thank Blinn College for giving me the opportunity the past seven years to coach at a wonderful place. I'm excited to be a part of Buff Nation and to join the Canyon community."
 
Gamble became the third coach in NJCAA history to reach 1,000 career victories on October 15, 2024 in a sweep of Lee College. In his career, Gamble has compiled a record of 1,102-349 (.759 winning percentage). He was inducted into the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007 after winning three NJCAA volleyball championships (2000, 2004, 2006) and three NJCAA Coach of the Year awards.
 
Gamble came to Blinn after four seasons as Jacksonville State University's head coach, where he took the team to three conference tournaments. Gamble spent four seasons at McNeese State University, one season as the head coach at the former Midland Lutheran College, now Midland University, and spent one year as a first assistant coach at Texas Tech in 2009.
 
A majority of Gamble's coaching career has been spent at the junior college level. Gamble had a successful run as head coach at St. Clair County Community College from 1999 to 2004, where he led the Skippers to National Titles in 2000 and 2004 and to a third-place finish in 2001. His first coaching stint was at Mott Community College from 1995-1998. In 1998, he led Mott to a ninth-place finish at the National Championships.
 
From 2005 to 2008, Gamble served as the head coach at Iowa Western Community College. In 2006, Gamble was voted the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year after guiding the Reivers to the NJCAA National Championship. He also was named the AVCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year and coached the AVCA Player of the Year in 2006. He led IWCC to a seventh-place finish at the National Championships in 2007 and a fourth-place finish in 2008.
 
Gamble has been inducted into the Port Huron Sports Hall of Fame and Iowa Western Sports Hall of Fame. Gamble's coaching honors also include three District C Coach of the Year awards, three District D Coach of the Year awards, one District 8 Coach of the Year, eight Regional Coach of the Year honors, and eight Conference Coach of the Year accolades. 
 
He has won 10 regional championships, six state championships, and 15 conference championships, and has coached 19 All-Americans, 20 Academic All-Americans, three NJCAA National Players of the Year. He was also selected the president of the NJCAA Coaches Association in 2007.