Marquette University Athletics
Women's Volleyball
- Title :
- Head Coach
- E-Mail:
- thomas.mendoza@marquette.edu
- Phone:
- 288-8292
- Experience :
- Second Year
- Alma Mater:
- Lewis (2007)
In his first season at the helm, Mendoza guided the Golden Eagles to an 18-11 overall record and an 11-5 mark in BIG EAST play, highlighted by a first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Western Kentucky.
Mendoza has 10 seasons of NCAA Division I head coaching experience, including seven seasons at the University of South Carolina (2018-24) and two at High Point University (2016-17).
At South Carolina, Mendoza oversaw a significant program turnaround, leading the Gamecocks to four NCAA Tournament appearances (2018, 2019, 2021, 2024). His first two seasons produced the program’s first back-to-back 20-win seasons in nearly two decades and its first NCAA appearance in 16 years. USC also recorded double-digit Southeastern Conference wins in each of his first three seasons.
Under Mendoza’s leadership, USC earned NCAA Tournament victories over Colorado in 2018 and then-No. 10 Colorado State in 2019, marking the program’s first win over a top-10 opponent since 2006. Overall, his teams notched 11 wins over AVCA top-25 opponents during his tenure in Columbia.
Mendoza’s squads also excelled individually and academically. Five players earned All-SEC honors from 2018–24, highlighted by two-time AVCA All-American Mikayla Robinson. In 2024, outside hitter Riley Whitesides earned All-SEC recognition after averaging 4.47 kills per set, the second-highest single-season mark in program history. Each of Mendoza’s teams at USC earned AVCA Team Academic Awards, and Gamecock student-athletes collected 74 SEC Academic Honor Roll selections in his first six seasons.
At High Point, he led the Panthers to back-to-back Big South Conference championships and earned AVCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year honors in 2017 following a perfect 16-0 regular-season conference campaign.
He compiled a 106-90 record during his seven seasons at South Carolina and a 47-18 mark in two seasons at High Point.
Prior to becoming a head coach, Mendoza spent six seasons at Creighton University (2010-15), including the final three as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. He was part of five NCAA Tournament teams, multiple conference championships, and Creighton’s transition into the BIG EAST. Mendoza also served as an assistant coach at Evansville and as a volunteer assistant at Michigan State, helping both programs reach NCAA Regionals.
A native of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Mendoza was a three-year letter winner and 2004 NAIA All-American setter at Newman University before finishing his collegiate career at Lewis University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in management information systems in 2007.
Mendoza and his wife, Megan, have two dogs, Ace and Jay.
THE MENDOZA FILEÂ
| Year | School | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Conf. W | Conf. L | Conf. Pct. | Postseason |
| 2016 | High Point | 23 | 10 | .697 | 11 | 5 | .688 | NCAA First Round |
| 2017 | High Point | 24 | 8 | .750 | 16 | 0 | 1.000 | NCAA First Round |
| 2018 | South Carolina   | 20 | 10 | .667 | 10 | 8 | .556 | NCAA Second Round |
| 2019 | South Carolina | 20 | 12 | .625 | 11 | 7 | .611 | NCAA Second Round |
| 2020-21 | South Carolina | 12 | 10 | .545 | 12 | 10 | .545 | -- |
| 2021 | South Carolina | 14 | 15 | .483 | 6 | 12 | .333 | NCAA First Round |
| 2022 | South Carolina | 13 | 15 | .464 | 7 | 11 | .389 | -- |
| 2023 | South Carolina | 11 | 16 | .407 | 5 | 13 | .278 | -- |
| 2024 | South Carolina | 16 | 12 | .571 | 7 | 9 | .438 | NCAA First Round |
| 2025 | Marquette | 18 | 11 | .621 | 11 | 5 | .688 | NCAA Second Round |
| 10 Seasons | 171 | 119 | .590 | 96 | 80 | .545 | Seven NCAA Appearances |
