Marci Byers was named the sixth head coach of the Virginia Tech volleyball program in January, 2020. She enters her fifth season at the helm of the Hokies.
The 2023 season began with the Hokies starting off 10-0, a program record. Tech's 13-16 record was the best in the Byers' era. This season also saw the first victory for the Hokies against Notre Dame since 2015. Hanna Borer recorded her 1,000th career assist in a match vs. Delaware State, and Sydney Petersen recorded her 1,000th career point against Syracuse. The Hokies also registered ACC wins over Wake Forest and Syracuse.
The 2022 season saw the Hokies defeat Clemson 3-2 on the road, the first win over the Tigers in the Byers' era and the first win at Clemson since 2019. Hanna Borer was also named ACC Freshman of the Week on September 26 and November 15, the first Freshman of the Week honor since 2017. She had 13 double-doubles in 2022, the most by any freshman in the ACC. The Hokies recorded ACC wins over Boston College, Wake Forest and Duke as well.
During her first season with Tech, the team tallied five conference wins including a sweep of Virginia and a win over then No. 14 Duke in five sets. The Hokies defeated Virginia in 2021 as well, taking down the Cavaliers in five sets. Tech also defeated Boston College and Wake Forest in ACC play during Byers' second season at the helm.”
A four-time Big South Coach of the Year selection at Radford University, she is the winningest coach in Highlanders’ history, leading the program to three Big South regular season titles, two Big South Tournament championships and two NCAA Tournament berths. She is one of only five head coaches in Big South history to register 200 or more career victories. During her tenure at Radford, the Chicago native consistently recruited top talent to the New River Valley from across the country, thanks to her strong relationships within the ACC footprint, as well as with elite club programs in the Midwest, Texas and California.
Byers’ squads at Radford topped the 20-win mark five times over the past seven seasons and compiled an 81-34 (.708) overall record over the past four years. She led the Highlanders to a 22-7 record in 2018, including a 12-4 mark in Big South play. They reached the Big South Tournament title game for the second consecutive season and were selected to play in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship where they defeated Appalachian State in the first round. During her tenure at Radford, her student-athletes twice registered the top team GPA of any program at the school (2008 and 2013).
No stranger to defeating Power Five foes, under her direction in 2017 the Highlanders registered wins at Arizona, at South Carolina and at Virginia Tech en route to a Big South Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth. In 2016, Byers led Radford to a 24-6 record, including a perfect 11-0 mark at home and a Big South regular-season championship. Her squads also registered wins against Wake Forest in 2016 and Washington State in 2015. Byers’ 2014 squad finished with a 24-8 mark that included wins over California and Maryland as Radford claimed the Big South regular-season title. The Highlanders earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance under Byers in 2013 after winning both the Big South regular-season and tournament titles, finishing the season with a 25-10 record.
Prior to beginning her tenure at Radford in 2008, she spent two seasons at NCAA Division II Chowan University in Murfreesboro, N.C. After going 4-17 in her initial season in 2006, Byers guided the Hawks to a 26-11 record as the squad averaged the most aces per game of any Division II squad. Prior to joining the collegiate ranks, she posted a 121-49 record in 10 seasons coaching in the Richmond prep ranks, spending two seasons at Mills Godwin High School and eight years at Hermitage High School.
Byers has also been a successful coach at the club level. Her 2003-04 team qualified for the Junior Olympics in Houston, while her 2004-05 team reached the Junior Olympics in Salt Lake City. She was also invited to participate in the USA Volleyball Coaches Clinic at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
She is a 1995 graduate of Virginia Union University where she graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a concentration in mathematics. A four-year starter on the volleyball team, she captained the team as both a junior and senior. Her husband, J.D., serves as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Virginia Tech. The couple are parents of two daughters, Kamryn and Skyylar.
Caleb Adams serves as the Camp Director for the Marci Jenkins Volleyball Camps.
In 2024, Adams enters his fifth season at Virginia Tech and will primarily work with setters and offensive schemes.
Previously at Virginia Tech, Adams focused on training Tech's back court defenders and servers. In 2023, Iliana Rodriguez, a graduate transfer from St. John’s, would come in and lead the Hokies in production at the libero position. Rodriguez would finish her only season at Tech with 400 digs, 7th in the ACC, and the second-highest single season total during Adams’ tenure. Rodriguez would also be the only member of the 2023 squad to play every single set during the season. Under Adams, Tech would see a new entry in the record books, as Logan Mosley finished her senior campaign with 196 digs, bringing her career total to 1,304, finishing 8th in program history. A graduate transfer from Iowa, Maddie Slagle, would join the Hokies and lead the team in digs with 383. Mosley and Slagle both would end the season tied with freshman Hanna Borer for most sets played at 107, not missing a single set throughout the 2022 season.
2021 would add to Adams’ strong track record with the back row. Logan Mosley would continue to perform well as a libero with guidance from Adams. Mosley finished the season with a team-leading 409 digs, good for 7th in the ACC, recording her 1,000th career dig against Louisville. Adams would also aid in the development of freshman Mary Page, who would finish with 151 digs and a .946 receiving percentage. That season would see the highest output in digs for the Hokies during Adams’ tenure, finishing the year with 1493 total digs.
Joining at the beginning of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Adams aided in the development of back row play, and it was his first time working with then sophomore Logan Mosley, who finished the season with 192 digs and a .959 receiving percentage as a libero. As a team during Adams’ first year with the Hokies with 799 team digs in 17 matches, averaging 12.48 digs per set.
Most recently, Adams spent eight years (2012-2019) with Radford volleyball, while also employed as an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. While coaching with Marci Byers, Radford claimed three Big South regular season titles, two Big South tournament championships and competed in three national tournaments (NCAA in 2013, 2017, NIVC in 2018). In Adams’ time with the Highlanders, he aided in the development of setters, exemplified by two athletes, Haley Kleespies and Jena Braden, who finished first and third in career assists, respectively, in program history.
Prior to his entry into the collegiate coaching ranks, Adams served as co-head coach of Kellam High School in Virginia Beach, Va. From 2008-2011 Adams helped lead the Knights to a combined 97-13 record (.882%), including back-to-back state titles (2010, 2011) with an undefeated season in 2011. He saw nine athletes named to the All-Beach District first team, six to the All-Eastern Region first team, five on the Group AAA All-State team, and a two-time AAA State Player of the Year, Cheyanne James, who would also play for Adams at Radford University. Additionally, Adams co-founded the Beach Elite Volleyball Club of Virginia Beach, Va.
Adams attended North Carolina State (1993-1997), earning a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Math Education. In 2011 Adams was awarded his Ph.D. in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Old Dominion University.
Presently Adams is an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Radford University. He resides in Radford with his wife, Karen, and five daughters, Trinity (a member of UF Gator volleyball program), Mattox, Raelin, and twins, Vivienne and Genevieve.
Sarah Gomish was named an assistant volleyball coach at Virginia Tech in February of 2024. She will also serve as the program's primary recruiting coordinator.
Gomish most recently spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Lehigh University. In her time with the Mountain Hawks, she mentored two all-league selections, as outside hitter Megan Schulte and middle blocker Emily Stewart were named to the All-Patriot League second team in 2022.
Prior to joining Lehigh, Gomish spent one season with Fairleigh Dickinson as an assistant coach, mentoring the Knights’ first All-NEC First Team selection in a decade in outside hitter, Victoria Demmene, as Demmene finished with 148 kills in eleven matches in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Her first coaching experience came as a graduate assistant at her alma mater, Bloomsburg University, a Division II program in Pennsylvania. While mentored by Gomish in her only season with the Huskies as a coach, libero Alyssa Cianciulli garnered All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) honors, along with honors from the AVCA and Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association (D2CCA).
Gomish spent her final season as a collegiate player with Bloomsburg. In the Huskies’ first year as a collegiate program, she led the team in kills (328) and points (349), also finishing second in total digs (289). The first three seasons of Gomish’s college career were spent at Lock Haven, totaling 867 kills and 757 digs with the Bald Eagles.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Lock Haven, studying Kinesiology and Exercise Science, and her master’s degree in Exercise Science from Bloomsburg.
William Tatge joined the Virginia Tech staff as an assistant coach in May 2024.
Tatge had previously been on staff at Bradley in February of 2023, with the Braves securing victories against Indiana State, Evansville and Albany.
Prior to his tenure at Bradley University, Tatge was an assistant coach and primary recruiting coordinator at Georgia State. While Tatge was with the Panthers, they earned Sun Belt victories against Marshall and Louisiana-Monroe.
Tatge was on Iowa’s staff prior to joining Georgia State, serving as an assistant coach and interim head coach.
Before joining the Hawkeyes, Tatge spent two seasons at Louisiana Tech, helping the Lady Techsters to their best season since 2003, including an 11-4 start. Tatge spent the 2018 season as a volunteer assistant coach at Ohio State.
Prior to his time with the Buckeyes, Tatge was the head women’s volleyball coach at Lees-McRae (DII), where he led them to the postseason in 2015 and 2016. He additionally served as the assistant coach for men’s volleyball at Lees-McRae.
Tatge spent two years as Montreat College (NAIA), being named the Appalachian Athletic Conference Assistant Coach of the Year and AVCA Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014.
Tatge also spent time as the head men’s and assistant women’s volleyball coach at Durham University in England.
During his undergraduate studies, Tatge played as a right-side hitter for Indiana University’s club volleyball team, and as a setter/right-side hitter for Durham University during his postgraduate studies. He also previously competed internationally for Team Northumbria and the English National League.
He earned his master’s degree in management from Durham University Business School, a top 75 globally-recognized program, and has a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in coaching and business administration.