George Mason University Assistant Vice President, Director of Athletics Brad Edwards announced today the hiring of Jay Hosack as the new head men's volleyball coach. Hosack, who spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach at Penn State, becomes the fifth head coach in the program's 41-year history.

“Jay Hosack has elite collegiate and national coaching experience and we are extremely excited he is going to guide our men's volleyball program,” said Edwards. “He is a proven winner having reached the NCAA National Final title match and winning a gold medal with the USA Men's Junior National team. He is a well-respected recruiter evidenced by the numerous All-American and All-Conference selections awarded to his student-athletes. Combine his coaching experience with his passion and commitment, and he will take our program to the next level.”

"I am extremely excited to be the next head coach at George Mason for the men's volleyball program,” said Hosack. “It has a storied history and tradition of being a top program in the country. I look forward to helping guide it to the next level."

The University of California, Santa Cruz alum brings 17 years of collegiate and national team experience to Fairfax, including 25 seasons with NCAA men's and women's programs as well as helping both men's and women's national teams get recognized on the world stage. Most recently, Hosack spent six seasons as an assistant coach of the men's program at volleyball powerhouse Penn State. In his role as an offensive coordinator, Hosack helped the Nittany Lions to six conference titles and six NCAA Final Four appearances for an overall record of 142-46.

Most of Hosack's NCAA coaching career has taken place on the West Coast, where volleyball has the reputation as one of the most popular and competitive intercollegiate sports. He began his career as head coach for both the men's and women's programs at his alma mater UC Santa Cruz where he held the role from 2000-04. During his tenure, Hosack earned UC Santa Cruz Coach of the Year accolades in 2002 and 2004, guided the men's team to the national semifinals in 2004 and tutored the program's first All-American.

Following a one-year stint at Idaho State University, Hosack served as associate head coach for both the men's and women's programs at Irvine Valley College for five seasons, where the men won back-to-back titles in the Orange Empire Conference - one of the nation's most competitive community college athletic conferences. Additionally, the Lasers earned consecutive California Junior College State Championship titles in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, Hosack was named conference Co-Coach of the Year and guided the women's program to a conference crown. As a result of those successes, Hosack spent the following season as assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the University of California, Irvine women's team before joining the Nittany Lions.

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Hosack has over six years of international coaching experience working with USA National Teams. In 2006, Hosack received the opportunity to be an assistant coach for the men's national team. He held that position for four years and played an important role in USA Volleyball's historic triumph in 2008, when the team won gold medals in the Beijing Olympics and the FIVB World League.

In 2010, Hosack was the advance scout coach for the women's national team which earned fourth place in the FIVB World Championship in Tokyo, Japan. Hosack and the USA Women's A2 USA National Team earned a bronze medal in the Pan American Games. Since 2012, he has been the assistant coach for Team USA's men's junior national team and has coached the country's top youth players to a gold and bronze medal, respectively, in the 2012 and 2014 Junior Continental Championship.

“I would like to thank Brad Edwards and Ron Shayka for this opportunity and believing in my skills and experience to be the next leader of this team,” Hosack noted. “I would also like to thank Mark Pavlik for giving me the opportunity at Penn State to learn, grow and gain more experience in addition to Tom Pestolesi and Hugh McCutcheon for all of their help and guidance over the years. And most importantly, I would like to thank my wife Stephanie for allowing me to pursue my dreams and passion in the sport of volleyball.”

A member of the UC Santa Cruz men's volleyball team from 1995-97, Hosack received his bachelor's degree in sociology at UC Santa Cruz and earned a Masters in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University in Irvine, Calif.

Hosack Coaching Experience

Hosack International Coaching Experience