LOS ANGELES – Former San José State Head Women's Volleyball Coach Trent Kersten has accepted the same position at LMU following three successful seasons leading the Spartans, Athletic Director Craig Pintens announced on Monday.
"We are excited to add one of the brightest head coaches in the country Trent Kersten," said AD Pintens. "He has excellent volleyball acumen and a tremendous work ethic, always searching for innovation in his coaching. His track record as a recruiter and ability to relate to today's student-athlete will position us to compete for championships and provide a first-class experience for our volleyball student-athletes."
One of the rising young coaches in the sport, Kersten has built San José State into a legitimate contender in the Mountain West Conference during his tenure. The Spartans finished 2021 with a 19-10 overall record and 13-5 MW record. The 19 wins were the most by a San José State team in 15 years and the third time in five seasons that the program finished above .500. The 13 conference wins were the most Mountain West wins in school history, until 2022 when the team set a new high mark with a second-place league finish, a 21-9 overall record, and school-record 14 conference wins.
"I am honored to be a part of the LMU volleyball program," said Kersten. "I'd like to thank President Snyder, Craig Pintens, and Ashley Armstrong for trusting me to lead LMU Volleyball. I'd also like to thank all the people at SJSU who were instrumental in my time there, specifically Jeff Konya, Scott MacDonald, Laura Alexander, Taylor Gregory, Delainey Gregory, and all of the amazing student athletes that I had the opportunity to coach."
Prior to his time at San José State, Kersten spent five seasons as a member of 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 in the nation by Prep Volleyball.
Active in the USA Volleyball High Performance programs, he has assisted in developing athletes ranging in ages from 12-18. Kersten's 2019 team won a gold medal at the High Performance Championships and was selected to the 2020 U.S. Girls Youth National Training Team coaching staff as an assistant coach. He has 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 USA Men's National Team Head Coach. 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) his final year.
During his undergraduate years, Kersten worked in the UCLA Recruiting Department during the summer of 2014 and was a lead coach for three summers at the UCLA Summer Volleyball Camps.
Kersten has extensive experience working with club teams in California and Texas. He has been responsible for managing coaching staffs and working with budgets for each team.
"Tara, Kolbie, and I are excited to come back home and reconnect with the LA community," said Kersten. "I am looking forward to developing relationships with the current team and can't wait to get in the gym to continue building on their successes from this past season."
Kersten graduated from UCLA in June of 2015 with a bachelor's degree in geography and environmental studies. He and his wife, Tara, have one daughter, Kolbie.
