Rob Browning

Rob Browning is the Head Women's Volleyball Coach at Saint Mary's College.

Rob Browning enters his 19th season as the head women's volleyball coach at Saint Mary's in the 2023-24 school year.

Browning is the longest tenured and winningest coach in Saint Mary's Volleyball history. He has led the Gaels to five NCAA tournament appearances (2005, '08, '09, '12, '18) and its only West Coast Conference Championship in 2009. In addition to his duties as head indoor coach, he established beach volleyball as SMC's 17th intercollegiate sport in 2013.

In the 2018-19 seasons Saint Mary's indoor and beach teams went 19-10 and 20-9 respectively. Saint Mary's #1 beach pair of Lindsey Knudsen and Sarah Chase were voted as the WCC Beach Pair of the Year. In 2016 and 2017, Saint Mary's received four West Coast Conference Player-of-the-Year honors in beach volleyball. In 2016 Saint Mary's swept the awards with Dalas Dodd as WCC Player of the Year, Mary Hernandez as Defensive Player of the Year, and Lindsey Knudsen as Freshman of the Year, and Knudsen again being honored as the 2017 WCC Defensive Player of the Year. Saint Mary's has had 19 all-WCC award winners in beach the past four seasons (2016-19).

In addition to five NCAA tournament appearances in indoor volleyball Browning led the 2009 Gaels to the program's first-ever WCC Championship. Saint Mary's dominated the WCC, leading the conference in every statistical category. SMC was tops in hitting percentage (.296), opponents hitting percentage (.174), assists per set (13.77), digs per set (15.55), kills per set (14.72), blocks per set (2.76), and service aces per set (1.40). The 2009 team defeated UC Santa Barbara in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Stanford 13-15 in the 5th set in the second round. In the 2012 NCAA tournament Saint Mary's beat San Diego State in the first round before losing to host USC in the second round.

Browning was hired as the eighth head women's volleyball coach in the program's 28-year history on March 23, 2005. His teams have become known not only as quality competitors on the court but also well known for their abilities in the classroom. Saint Mary's volleyball routinely ranks among the athletic department's best in terms of team GPA and the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2020-21 teams earned the AVCA Team Academic award.

Four current NCAA DI Women’s Volleyball head coaches got their start with Browning at Saint Mary’s: Keegan Cook at Minnesota; Brent Crouch at Auburn; Sam Crosson at Cal; and most recently, Megan Burton—former Gael volleyball student-athlete and volunteer assistant coach—who is the new head coach at WCC rival University of Portland. Another former assistant coach, Carlos Moreno, is the Associate Head Coach at Arizona State.

Browning was an assistant coach for the USA Men's National Team under Doug Beal for six years prior to joining Saint Mary's. He has been to four Olympic Games with the USA men's team: 2000 in Sydney, 2004 in Athens, 2008 in Beijing (where the team won the gold medal), and 2012 in London. He coached the USA Women's National Team at the 2019 Pan Am Cup (gold medal) and 2019 Pan Am Games. He also coached the USA Women's Junior National Team to the NORCECA Championship in 2010 and to a 4th place finish at the Junior World Championships in Peru in 2011.

Prior to assisting the men's national team, Browning served as a volunteer assistant on the BYU men's volleyball team for three years, culminating in BYU's first NCAA National Championship in 1999. Browning was fortunate to learn from the legendary Carl McGown, Hugh McCutcheon, and Troy Tanner on that coaching staff.

A native of Newport Beach, Calif., Browning earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish Translation with a Minor in International Relations from BYU in 1990. He played volleyball at BYU from 1987 to 1989. Browning graduated from Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, where he lettered in volleyball for two years and was named a 1984 Orange County All-Star.

Browning has been married to Michelle Perez since July, 1989. They have two children, Madison and John.

The Browning File:

2018/2012/2009/2008/2005 NCAA Tournament Appearances

2009 West Coast Conference Champions

2009 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year

2009 AVCA Division I Pacific Region Coach of the Year

2013 AVCA All Americans Jordan Shaw and Kristina Graven

2009 Defensive Player of the Year (Alita Fisher)

2007 WCC Freshman of the Year (Megan York)

1st Team All WCC Selections: Kaui Salzman, Mandy Bible, Christina Kirk, Missie Stidham, Megan York, Megan Burton, Kapua Kamana'o, Shannon Lowell, Alita Fisher, Lauren Corp, Gabby Jolly, Jordan Shaw, Missy White, Kristina Graven, Dalas Dodd, Lindsey Knudsen.

30 WCC All-Academic Awards (more than any other WCC team)

107-68 overall Beach record. 85-47 the past five years

27 WCC Beach All-Academic Awards (more than any other WCC team)

2019 WCC Beach Pair of the Year (Lindsey Knudsen/ Sarah Chase)

2017 WCC Beach Defensive Player of the Year (Lindsey Knudsen)

2016 WCC Beach Player of the Year (Dalas Dodd)

2016 WCC Beach Defensive Player of the Year (Mary Hernandez)

2016 WCC Beach Freshman of the Year (Lindsey Knudsen)