Todd Kress Named Head Volleyball Coach

Kress spent seven seasons as head coach at Florida State; has taken three teams to NCAAs

Todd Kress

BUFFALO, NY – Director of Athletics Warde Manuel has announced the hiring of Todd Kress as head women’s volleyball coach at the University at Buffalo. Kress has won more than 250 matches as a head coach and has led three teams to the NCAA Tournament, while coaching a trio of All-Americans.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that Warde and the UB Athletic Department has given me,” said Kress. “Being away from coaching this past year was very difficult, but I am looking forward to the opportunity that is there for me at Buffalo.

“The athletic department at UB has grown tremendously since my time at Northern Illinois and I am excited for the opportunity to raise Buffalo’s volleyball program to the championship level I believe it should be competing at,” Kress added.

Kress has a career record of 255-156 in 14 years as a head coach at the Division I level. He became the second youngest head coach in NCAA volleyball history to win 200 matches, which he did so in October 2004. He served as head coach at Florida State from 2002-2007 where he took the Seminoles to the NCAA Tournament in his very first season in 2002. He coached NCAA All-Americans in three seasons and first-team All-ACC players in five straight years, while also mentoring the ACC’s Freshman of the Year in 2003. In the classroom, he had seven players named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll and the first player at Florida State since 1993 to be named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team in 2007.

Prior to moving to Florida State, Kress served as head coach at fellow MAC member, Northern Illinois from 1999-02. His 2001 team won the Mid-American Conference and represented the league at the NCAA Tournament. He had the MAC Player of the Year and MAC Freshman of the Year during that 2001 season.

Kress began his head coaching career at Fairfield University where he led the team to MAAC Championships in 1997 and 1998, making trips to the NCAA Tournament in both years. At Fairfield, he coached the conference player of the year and rookie of the year in two different seasons.

“We are delighted to welcome Todd to the Buffalo athletics family,” said Manuel. “His success at three different programs speaks to his coaching and recruiting ability and we feel he has the experience to make Buffalo the fourth program he takes to the NCAA Tournament. Todd has a great passion for volleyball, possesses a great understanding of the game and brings out the best in his players.”

Kress began his coaching career at the University of Cincinnati. While completing his undergraduate education, he was a two-year starter for the Bearcats’ club squad and served as head coach for two Junior Olympic programs and as an assistant for the Seton High School junior varsity. After completing an associate of arts degree in communications from Edison State College in Ohio in June of 1988, Kress, a native of Sidney, OH, earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in broadcasting from Cincinnati in June of 1992.