Thursday, February 13, 2020
The search for the next Saint Martin’s volleyball came to close as Athletic Director Bob Grisham announced Dan Behnke will lead the program in 2020.
“I am pleased with our hiring of Coach Behnke to be our head volleyball coach,” said Grisham. “He is stepping into a position that will be a challenge in making this program competitive in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference as it is one of the best Division II conferences in the country in volleyball. We believe he has demonstrated the skill set to get the job done.”
“I would like to thank President Roy Heynderickx, Athletic Director Bob Grisham and the search committee for this opportunity,” said Behnke. “I immediately felt the family environment on campus, how everyone appreciated the campus and their devotion to Saint Martin’s. The hospitality and commitment to the university’s Benedictine values makes me excited to be a part of the Saint Martin’s family.”
Behnke comes to Saint Martin’s after coaching for five seasons at NAIA Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. During his time at Huston-Tillotson, Behnke went 94-52, including a 75-20 in the last three years. Prior to his arrival, Huston-Tillotson went 16-145 in a five-year span.
The two-time Red River Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Behnke led his Rams to a conference championship and NAIA National Tournament appearance in 2019. In 2018, Huston-Tillotson was the RRAC regular-season co-champions and finished as the tournament runner-up in 2017.
Behnke coached three All-Americans, 36 all-conference players during his time, along with three RRAC Front-Row Players of the Year, two RRAC Setters of the Year and one RRAC Defensive Specialist of the Year.
Before his time at Huston-Tillotson, Behnke served as an assistant coach for one season at Division I Texas State.
“When talking with the team, I could tell they were hungry and ready to take the next step in the program,” Behnke said. “I welcome the challenges of moving up to NCAA Division-II, and building a program, and seeing it through.”
“What impressed me and our committee is the successful program he developed at Huston-Tillotson culminating with a conference championship this past year, and that is the success we want to see Dan develop here,” stated Grisham.