Mike Minnis joined Head Coach Rob Patrick's bench in April of 2001 and made an immediate impact in the area of recruiting. Minnis' duties at Tennessee include evaluating talent as well as coordinating recruiting and team stats. Additionally, he is involved with scheduling and works with the outside hitters and defensive specialists on the court.

In his time at Rocky Top, Minnis has helped lead the Lady Vols to an impressive 115-43 mark (.728), the highest winning percentage seen in any five-year span at Tennessee. The Orange and White advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinals in 2004 and NCAA Final Four in 2005, finishing sixth in the final AVCA/CSTV Top 25 Coaches Poll.

This offseason, Minnis put together one of the best recruiting classes in Tennessee volleyball history. The class of seven was ranked sixth in the nation by Volleyball Magazine and eighth by CVU.com.

Under Minnis' tutelage, the outside hitters and defensive specialists have both seen remarkable improvements as evidenced by players such as Michelle Piantadosi (finished her career in 2004 as an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American) and Annie Sadowski (moved from 23 digs in 2003 to 315 in 2004). In 2005, Minnis worked with Yuliya Stoyanova, who ended the year as the team leader in kills, kills/game and total attacks en route to being named First-Team All-SEC and Honorable Mention All-America.

Minnis spent the 2000 season as an assistant coach at Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kan. Before his stint with Seward, he was an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1994 through 2000, serving as the recruiting coordinator for the Sooners from 1996 to 2000.

A 1993 graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, Minnis served as an assistant coach at his alma mater from 1989 to 1994, also working as a clinician at its camps.

His involvement and dedication to the sport of volleyball has not been limited to the collegiate game. Minnis, along with former OU Head Coach Miles Pabst and many others, began a quest to enhance volleyball at high schools throughout the state of Oklahoma. His efforts obviously paid immediate dividends, as the number of high schools sponsoring the sport of volleyball increased from 40 in 1993 to more than 100 in 1999.

In 1990, Minnis served on the Oklahoma Region United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) Board of Directors, a position he held until 1992. From 1996 to 1998, he was an advisor to the director of the Youth National Team. In addition, Minnis served as the training site coordinator for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and assisted with tryouts for the 1996 Youth National Team.

Minnis is the co-author of "Fundamentals of Volleyball," a teaching tool for the Oklahoma High School Association. Along with Pabst, Minnis also completed three skill videos aimed at high school and club coaches.

• Has coached five players who have been members of U.S. National Teams
• Put together the No. 6 recruiting class in the country for 2006 according to Volleyball Magazine
• Helped lead Lady Vols to best five-year run in school history (2001-05)
• Tutored 11 All-Americans (eight at UT), 10 All-Big 12 and 14 All-SEC selections
• Helped guide the 1996 Oklahoma squad that led the nation in assists
• Coached OU's outside hitting duo of Melissa Peterson and Patrice Arrington to second place on the NCAA's career combined kills list

What is your favorite memory of your time so far as a Tennessee volleyball coach?
"I know that most people associated with the program feel that our trip to the NCAA Final Four last year was the highlight of our program's existence. To me, however, it is still the win over Florida in five games, on the road, to win the conference title and end their home match winning streak. That win signified the arrival of Tennessee as one of the premier volleyball programs in the nation."

What do you like most about coaching?
"The day-to-day interaction with the players. Watching players learn, grow and succeed through their four years at Tennessee is very rewarding to me personally."

Who do you feel has been the biggest influence in your life and why?
"I would have to say that my older brother, Keith, has had the biggest influence on my life and my growth as a person. No matter what the situation or what the repercussions, he always does the right thing. I know that no matter what is going on in my life, I can always turn to him for help, support and guidance."