Josh Steinbach Position: Head Coach Experience: Seventh Season Alma Mater: Penn State '02

During his time as Villanova head coach Josh Steinbach has developed the Wildcats into a program capable of being consistently successful in the competitive BIG EAST Conference. Steinbach begins his sixth season as head coach in 2012 and starts the year with a career record of 87-61 (.588).

The past two years have been particularly good ones for Villanova, which amassed 40 victories between the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Overall the Wildcats have posted a winning record three straight years and in four out of five campaigns under Steinbach's tutelage.

Villanova has qualified for the BIG EAST Championship three times in the last five years, including back-to-back appearances in the past two seasons. Prior to 2010 and 2011 the Wildcats last made the conference tournament in consecutive years in 1996 and 1997.

The start of Steinbach's tenure at Villanova was an extremely successful one, as he led his 2007 squad to a 17-12 record, 9-5 mark in BIG EAST play and the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Championship. He was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year for his efforts and the Wildcats had two players selected to the all-conference first team for the first time in 15 years.

Individual honors for the volleyball student-athletes have also been plentiful with Steinbach at the helm. Standout libero Kim Maroon was named a third team All-American by the AVCA in 2011 and is the only player in school history to earn that high a distinction. Maroon was an honorable mention All-America choice in 2009 and Alona Cherkez received the same recognition in 2007; together these are the only three times in program history that All-America distinction has been bestowed on Villanova players.

Maroon also became the first Wildcat to be a three-time AVCA All-Region selection. She and classmate Maggie Mergen each earned spots on the all-region team in 2010 and 2011, while Cherkez and Maroon garnered the same honor in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

When it comes to BIG EAST recognition Maroon was a two-time conference Libero of the Year in 2010 and 2011, while Steinbach's players have also been All-BIG EAST picks 11 times. The all-conference selections include six first team honorees and five second team choices, with Maroon and Mergen each receiving first team accolades in consecutive years.

The awards presented to Maroon and Cherkez came after record-setting performances. Maroon surpassed 2,000 career digs during her senior season and her total of 749 digs in the 2011 season alone are a new BIG EAST single-season record. Cherkez, meanwhile, set a single-season school record with 642 kills in 2007. In addition, Mergen and Morgan Petkovich both surpassed 1,000 career kills during the 2011 season.

The volleyball student-athletes have also continued to be successful in the classroom during Steinbach's time as head coach. Villanova received the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award in 2008 and 2010, while the Wildcats have had a total of 51 selections to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team since 2007.

Steinbach came to the Main Line with a wealth of experience as a coach and recruiter. His first Villanova recruiting class arrived on campus in 2008 and featured seven freshmen who eventually led the Wildcats to the terrific achievements of the 2010 and 2011 campaigns as upperclassmen.

Most recently before coming to Villanova, Steinbach was the assistant coach at Wright State from 2005-07. His responsibilities there included serving as recruiting coordinator, overseeing the team's video breakdown of opponents and on-court coaching duties. Prior to his Wright State experience, Steinbach was an assistant at the University of Cincinnati from 2003-05. He has also held assistant coaching positions at Penn State and San Diego Mesa Community College.

In addition to his career in the collegiate ranks Steinbach has also been heavily involved in the club volleyball circuit. Currently, he directs the Philadelphia Volleyball Academy. He has also been the master coach for the 18 and 17 teams of the Dayton Juniors Volleyball Club in Dayton, Ohio. Steinbach was also the head coach of Team Z Volleyball Club in Cincinnati (2003-05), the Club Director of the Lions Pride Volleyball Club in State College, Pa., (2001-03) and coach and club administrator for the Sunwest Volleyball Club in San Diego, Calif.

Steinbach played collegiate volleyball at both San Diego Mesa Community College and George Mason University. After earning his Associates Degree from San Diego Mesa Community College in 1999, he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Penn State University in 2002.

A native of State College Pa., Steinbach has two sons, Bennett (13) and Carson (7).