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Grayson DuBose, the reigning Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, is entering his third season as Utah State's head volleyball coach after being hired on March 27, 2006. And in just two shorts years, DuBose (pronounced Do-Boz) has revitalized Utah State volleyball into one of the top programs in the WAC as he has already coached one All-American, five all-WAC selections, the 2007 WAC Freshman of the Year and 16 academic all-WAC honorees. After being picked to finish seventh in the WAC prior to the 2007 season, DuBose led Utah State to a 17-13 record and a third-place conference finish with an 11-5 mark. Among those 11 league victories was one of the biggest wins in school history as he led the Aggies to a three-game sweep at then No. 10 Hawai'i, snapping an 108-match home conference winning streak for the Rainbow Wahine. Following the season, DuBose had four players recognized by the WAC as senior Amanda Nielson was named to the league's first-team, while junior Melissa Osterloh and sophomore Danielle Taylor both earned second-team all-WAC honors. Also joining the list of honorees was setter Chelsea Fowles who was named the freshman of the year in the WAC, while DuBose became the first volleyball coach in school history to garner conference coach of the year honors. USU also received three WAC Player of the Week honors during the season in Amanda Nielson, Osterloh and Taylor. Utah State also had plenty of success in the classroom during the 2007-08 academic year as nine players earned academic all-WAC honors, which were the most by any volleyball team in the conference. In his inaugural season at Utah State, DuBose inherited a team that lost four starters and seven quality letterwinners from an NCAA Tournament team that went 21-13 overall and finished in a tie for second-place in the WAC with an 11-5 league record in 2005. Despite all the turnover, DuBose led Utah State to an early 10-8 record, including a 3-1 mark in WAC play before numerous injuries and inexperience took its toll in the final six weeks. In 2006, DuBose coached two all-league players as Nielson earned second-team all-WAC honors, while Melissa Larson was named to the conference's all-freshman team. Utah State also had six players earn academic all-conference honors, and one player earn WAC Player of the Week honors, marking just the second time that a USU player has received the award. Prior to accepting the head coaching position at Utah State, DuBose spent four seasons (2003-06) as an assistant on Brigham Young University's men's volleyball team. DuBose began his collegiate coaching career at Utah State from 1999-2000 as an assistant to Tom Peterson. During that time, the Aggies won the Eastern Division of the Big West Conference in 1999 and advanced to the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2000, defeating Missouri in the first round. USU finished the 2000 season ranked 22nd in the country, the program's first-ever top 25 ranking. "I am excited about returning to Utah State University and I'm looking forward to the challenge of maintaining the high standards that the volleyball program, the University and the community has come to expect," said DuBose the day he was hired. "I'm very anxious to return to the women's game and start working with the student-athletes and teaching them the game I love." In his four seasons at Brigham Young, DuBose helped lead the Cougar's men's program to a 90-30 (.750) record, including a National Championship in 2004 and a second-place finish at the 2003 NCAA Tournament. During his time at BYU, he coached nine All-American's, including the 2004 NCAA Player of the Year. DuBose began his coaching career as an assistant at Brighton High School in Sandy, Utah from 1997-98 and also assisted with the Cache Valley Juniors and the Mountain West Volleyball Club during that time period. Following his two-year stint at Utah State, DuBose spent one year as an assistant to Peterson at the University of New Mexico, working with the women's program, before following Peterson to Brigham Young. DuBose played two years of collegiate volleyball at Golden West Community College in Huntington Beach, Calif., after graduating from Edision High School in Huntington Beach where he earned all-county honors his senior season. DuBose graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in history in 1993 and then received his teaching certificate from Utah State in 1995. He and his wife Lenonnie have three children, Kline (10), Cassandra (8) and Jackson (4). |
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