Volleyball Assistant Tom Mendoza Accepts Head Coaching Job At High Point

HIGH POINT, N.C. -- Six-year Creighton Volleyball assistant coach Tom Mendoza has accepted the head coaching position at High Point University. A Division I school located in High Point, N.C., High Point went 21-10 last season and finished as runner-up in the Big South Conference.

A press conference will be held at 2 pm Central today to announce the hire, which will be video webcast at http://www.bigsouthsports.com/live/13939.

Mendoza was hired by Kirsten Bernthal Booth in the summer of 2010 and immediately helped the Creighton program reach unprecedented heights.

The Bluejay program reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since its 1994 reinstatement at the conclusion of his first season on the bench in 2010. Creighton then defeated nationally-ranked Iowa State in their postseason debut. That was the first of five NCAA Tournament bids in a six-year span for CU, capped by last year's breakthrough to the team's first Sweet 16.

Five of the six winningest seasons in the program's modern history occurred with Mendoza on the Bluejay bench, and the program has spent at least one week in the Top 25 each of the past four seasons. Since 2010 Creighton has gone 142-57 with three regular-season and three conference tournament titles, including an 87-19 mark in conference play.

Mendoza was also a part of Kirsten Bernthal Booth's coaching staff that earned Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2012 (Missouri Valley) and 2015 (BIG EAST).

"We're really excited for Tom," said Booth. "Tom spent six great years and really left his footprint on the Creighton program. I think he'll be a great head coach at High Point. It's a compliment to our players and program that we get calls often for Tom and Angie. Obviously, it's bittersweet as we'd love to have Tom still at Creighton, but I knew when he came that he wanted to be a head coach and I think High Point seems like a great place where he'll have great success. We wish him nothing but the best."

While at Creighton, Mendoza served as recruiting coordinator and worked primarily with the setters and middle blockers. Megan Bober, Kelli Browning, Michelle Sicner and Lauren Smith each earned All-America honors under Mendoza's tutelage at CU. Creighton's 2015 recruiting class was ranked 11th nationally by PrepVolleyball.com and featured top-50 recruits Taryn Kloth (No. 18) and Jaali Winters (No. 41), who combined to start 46 matches as true freshmen last fall.

Booth said a national search will be conducted to find Mendoza's replacement.

Volleyball Assistant Tom Mendoza Accepts Head Coaching Job At High Point

Players Mentioned

Taryn Kloth

Lauren Smith

Jaali Winters

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