Julie Torbett Thomas was named as the indoor volleyball program’s seventh head coach on Jan. 4, 2022.
Torbett Thomas created instant success in her first season as the Chattanooga bench boss, leading the team to a 17-16 overall record (10-6 SoCon) and an appearance in the Southern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2016.
The 17-16 season in 2022 was the first winning season for the program since 2016 and also provided the most wins in a season for the program in a head coach's first season. She helped direct the development of All-Southern Conference First Team selection Natalie Tyson (outside hitter) and Second Team honoree Paige Gallentine (libero).
2023 saw continued success for the Mocs, with the program stringing together its second consecutive winning season under Torbett Thomas with a 19-14 record on the year alongside a 6-10 SoCon record. It was in that same season that the Mocs opened the year with an 8-1 record, marking the best start to a season in program history.
UTC would once again return to the Southern Conference Tournament Semifinals under Torbett Thomas in 2023 following an upset of No. 2 seeded Mercer in the SoCon Quarterfinals. Torbett Thomas would also reach a major career milestone on the year, earning her 500th career head coaching victory in her 30th season of coaching collegiate volleyball.
The season would conclude with the duo of Morgan Romano (outside hitter) and Paige Gallentine (libero) both earning spots on the All-Southern Conference Second Team. Setter Elaine Redman also set the program record for SoCon Player of the Week awards won in a single season, taking home five SoCon Setter of the Week honors in 2023.
Torbett Thomas then led Chattanooga volleyball to a 17-15 record for the team's 2024 campaign, marking the program's third-straight season with a winning record since she took over the program. The Mocs would also finish with a 7-9 SoCon record, which gave UTC the No. 7 seed for the 2024 SoCon Tournament.
The 2024 season ended with Torbett Thomas coaching three of her players to All-SoCon honors on the year. Chard'e Vanzandt became the first Moc since 2022 to receive First Team All-SoCon honors for her efforts on the year, while Paige Gallentine became the program's all-time digs leader for the modern scoring era in a season that saw her named to the All-SoCon Second Team. Kynli Kirkendoll also received a place on the All-SoCon Freshman Team, becoming just the seventh freshman in program history and first since 2018 to be named to the team.
Torbett Thomas came to Chattanooga after two years as the head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, she only coached one season in those two years after the 2020 season was cancelled. In her last season, she guided the Crimson Hawks to an 18-14 overall record.
In 31 seasons as a head coach, Torbett Thomas holds a 521-449 record with 29 years of experience at Division I programs. Prior to IUP, she spent seven years at East Carolina, where she won 109 games, the most in program history.
ECU recorded 10+ wins in all seven of Torbett Thomas’s seasons at the helm of the Pirates. It marked the first time the program had seven-straight 10-win seasons since 1989-1995. Her 69 wins throughout the last four years were the best four-year stretch for the program since winning the same number from 1979-82.
In 2017, the Pirates went 22-11 and 13-7 in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and finished fourth in the league standings. ECU was picked to finish 11th in the preseason coaches’ poll that year. The 22 wins were the most for the team since 1982, and the team clinched the first 20-win season since 2005.
Before her time in Greenville, N.C., she spent two years at Winthrop where she led the Eagles to 34 victories and a 20-8 mark in Big South Conference action. In her first season, Winthrop won a share of the Big South regular season championship, the first for the program since 2007.
Of her 28 seasons prior to UTC, she spent 17 at UNC Asheville from 1994-2010. At the helm of the Bulldogs program, she garnered 304 victories and two Big South regular season titles. Her two titles came in 2002 and ’09 with a 26-8 and 25-10 records, respectively. The Bulldogs also had a 25-win season in 2005 and back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1995 and 96.
Torbett Thomas was a two-time Big South Conference Coach of the Year in 2002 and ‘09 after the regular season championships. Under her leadership, UNC Asheville reached a No. 10 ranking in the South Region and won 20-plus matches five times. She also served as the Bulldogs’ Senior Woman Administrator.
Throughout her 30 years as a head coach, Torbett Thomas has coached 56 all-conference selections, including 23 all-conference first-team honorees. She has coached a Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
In addition to her team’s accolades on the court, Torbett Thomas also ensures her student-athletes excel in the classroom. She has coached 18 Academic All-Big South Selections and several of her teams have been presented the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Academic Team Award which is given to programs with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.
Torbett Thomas played at Penn State University, where she was a middle back and defensive specialist. She earned a degree in Exercise and Sport Science after playing for legendary Head Coach Russ Rose.
Torbett Thomas currently resides in Chattanooga, Tenn., with her spouse Kelvin Thomas. Her children include Nathanael Torbett (31), Kianna Thomas (30), Niko Thomas (28), Colby Torbett (27) and Tristan Torbett (25).
TORBETT HEAD COACHING RECORDS
| YEAR |
SCHOOL |
RECORD |
WIN % |
NOTES |
| 1994 |
UNC Asheville |
12-23 |
.343 |
|
| 1995 |
UNC Asheville |
24-11 |
.686 |
|
| 1996 |
UNC Asheville |
21-16 |
.568 |
|
| 1997 |
UNC Asheville |
16-17 |
.485 |
|
| 1998 |
UNC Asheville |
18-13 |
.581 |
|
| 1999 |
UNC Asheville |
16-17 |
.485 |
|
| 2000 |
UNC Asheville |
13-21 |
.382 |
|
| 2001 |
UNC Asheville |
7-21 |
.250 |
|
| 2002 |
UNC Asheville |
26-8 |
.765 |
Big South Regular Season Champs
Big South Coach of the Year |
| 2003 |
UNC Asheville |
18-10 |
.643 |
|
| 2004 |
UNC Asheville |
19-17 |
.528 |
|
| 2005 |
UNC Asheville |
25-7 |
.781 |
|
| 2006 |
UNC Asheville |
15-18 |
.455 |
|
| 2007 |
UNC Asheville |
12-22 |
.353 |
|
| 2008 |
UNC Asheville |
18-14 |
.563 |
|
| 2009 |
UNC Asheville |
25-10 |
.714 |
Big South Regular Season Champs
Big South Coach of the Year |
| 2010 |
UNC Asheville |
19-12 |
.613 |
|
| 2011 |
Winthrop |
20-8 |
.714 |
Co-Big South Regular Season Champs |
| 2012 |
Winthrop |
14-16 |
.467 |
|
| 2013 |
East Carolina |
13-19 |
.406 |
|
| 2014 |
East Carolina |
15-16 |
.484 |
|
| 2015 |
East Carolina |
12-19 |
.387 |
|
| 2016 |
East Carolina |
15-15 |
.500 |
|
| 2017 |
East Carolina |
22-11 |
.667 |
Most wins for ECU since 1982 |
| 2018 |
East Carolina |
13-16 |
.448 |
|
| 2019 |
East Carolina |
19-11 |
.633 |
|
| 2020 |
Indiana (PA) |
3-2 |
.600 |
|
| 2021 |
Indiana (PA) |
18-14 |
.563 |
|
| 2022 |
Chattanooga |
17-16 |
.515 |
SoCon Semifinals (first since '16) |
| 2023 |
Chattanooga |
19-14 |
.576 |
SoCon Semifinals |
| 2024 |
Chattanooga |
17-15 |
.531 |
|
| -- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
| 31 Seasons |
Overall Record |
521-449 |
.537 |
|
| 3 Seasons |
Chattanooga |
53-45 |
.541 |
|
| 17 Seasons |
UNC Asheville |
304-257 |
.542 |
Most wins in program history |
| 7 Seasons |
East Carolina |
109-107 |
.505 |
Most wins in program history |
| 2 Seasons |
Indiana (PA) |
21-16 |
.568 |
|
| 2 Seasons |
Winthrop |
34-24 |
.586 |
|
