Women's Volleyball
Jones, Daniel
Daniel Jones
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- DanielJones@msubobcats.com
Daniel Jones enters his sixth season as the head coach at Montana State. For the last five years, he has led the program to heights that have not been seen in Bozeman for a long time.
“My vision for this program is centered around building the legacy of Montana State volleyball, to leave the program better than I found it, and leave the young women who give their all to it, better than I found them,” said Jones at the conclusion of last season. “My job is to create an environment of learning and growth that allows each person to elevate their position and their jersey to a higher place. We’re about creating a legacy of excellence that perpetuates itself continually, and last season we made big strides in living out this vision.”
The 2021 season was another step forward for the program, compiling an overall record of 15-14, the third straight winning season for Jones. It was also the fifth year in a row Bobcat volleyball put together a double-digit win season- the first time it has occurred since 2001-05.
“The athletes were incredible this past year,” Jones commented. “When you look at all that we went through from January to December, there were so many challenges, the credit goes to them, and to the staff for getting us to where we were this year.”
Highlighting the 2021 campaign was the all-Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year nod to Bozeman native, middle blocker, Jordan Radick. Joining her as all-Big Sky selections were seniors Allie Lynch and Hannah Scott, who were also joined by sophomores Kira Thomsen and Emma Pence.
Individually, Hannah Scott became the 16th member of the 1,000 kills club at Montana State. Pence, a product of Carson City, Nevada racked up 151 total blocks, earning her a top 20 ranking in the nation, which was good for seventh on the all-time single-season honor roll for MSU.
For the second time in three seasons, Jones led the program to the Big Sky Conference tournament. After defeating Northern Arizona in quarterfinal action, the Bobcats eventually fell to defending champion and host, Weber State, in five sets. Thomsen, an outside hitter from Parker, Colo., was recognized for her standout performances being named to the Big Sky All-Tournament Team.
“That was an incredibly high quality and entertaining volleyball match,” Jones commented following the loss to WSU. “It’s obviously hugely disappointing to fall at this point, but I am so proud of this team, for their commitment and toughness.”
The COVID-19 pandemic played havoc with the fall 2020 season. First it was on, then limited, then off… and finally it was pushed to the spring of 2021, in a limited conference format.
Throughout all of this Jones led the program to a 15-10 finish, which saw the Bobcats go into the last weekend of Big Sky play competing to win the overall regular season title.
Thomsen and Pence garnered all-Big Sky Conference First-Team accolades, while Scott and Jourdain Klein were second team selections.
The 2019 campaign was littered with highlights. Foremost was the record-breaking effort of senior libero Allyssa Rizzo, who on Oct. 3, broke the all-time digs record at Montana State, surpassing the old record of 1,730 career digs previously held by Kandice Kelly (2003-06).
"Rizzo's career breaking dig was nothing spectacular," Jones reflected on the night. "She was just doing her job. That is the thing with being a libero. Sometimes it's not glamourous work. But she ranked among the nation's leaders, led the Big Sky, and now has the school record. It's special. She just did her job, had no ego, and set a great example for what Bobcat volleyball is all about."
By the end of the 2019 season, Rizzo passed the 2,000-dig threshold, the first to do so in the Blue and Gold, finishing the season by smashing her own single-season dig record for a second consecutive year with 654 digs, accumulating a whopping 2,122 career saves and earning the Big Sky Libero of Year accolades along the way. She became just one of three players in Big Sky history to notch over 2,000 digs.
Also picking up all-conference selections were senior outside hitter Evi Wilson, and Scott, a right-side hitter. Both earned First-Team all-Big Sky honors. Wilson also added an all-Big Sky Tournament team selection to her list of accolades. It was the first time in program history that three athletes have received first-team all-conference honors in the same year.
Team highlights included defeating Idaho in Moscow for the first time since 1989- capping off a season sweep of the Vandals for the first time in over 31 years.
On Oct. 10, the Bobcats defeated Northern Arizona in Flagstaff for the first time since 2006 with a complete team effort that saw the match go extra points in the deciding set, led by then freshman Kira Thomsen with 17 kills.
Two weeks later, the Cats got the best of Sacramento State in a five-set thriller on the back of career-high kills efforts of 22 and 20 from Thomsen and Scott respectively, beating the Hornets for the first time since 2010.
The season of big wins in big moments also came at the Big Sky Tournament, where the Bobcats ticked off two achievements which indicated significant growth. MSU beat host Sacramento State at home for the first time in 22 years to earn their first conference tournament win since 2005.
“As I look back on the 2019 season, it truly was a year of ‘firsts,’” Jones said. “We did many things, both collectively as a team and individually, that hadn’t been done at Montana State for a long time. Rizzo’s achievements in the libero jersey, Wilson and Scott receiving accolades along with the ‘first in a long time’ wins made for a special and memorable year.
“The team highlight for me was what we were able to achieve at the Big Sky Tournament,” Jones added. “It’s benchmarks like these which confirm we are doing something special here at Montana State. Our goal is to keep building on our achievements. I have no doubt we are recruiting the right athletes and building the right culture which is going to lead to more and more ‘firsts’ for the program in the future.”
There was no question that the highlight of the 2018 season was the advancement of the Bobcats back to the Big Sky tournament for the first time since 2012 and just the second time since 2005. Along the way, Jones oversaw the second back-to-back double-digit win season for the first time since the 2004-2005 seasons. All of this was achieved in the face of several significant challenges.
“The toughness our young women shown during the 2018 season,” Jones stated. “Controlling the things that are within our control was a real area of growth. I could not be prouder as they put adversity aside and constantly focused on what they could do to move us forward.”
Securing the Seattle University Redhawk Invitational tournament title- the second non-conference tournament title in two years under Jones- was an early indication of the promise of the 2018 squad.
Individual milestones were plentiful. Rizzo earned her 1,000th- career dig, just the ninth Bobcat to do so. On Sept. 17, following their standout performances in an undefeated weekend at Seattle U, Rizzo and Wilson were recognized for their efforts, sweeping the Big Sky Conference Defensive and Offensive Player of the Week awards. It was the first time in program history that MSU athletes swept the conference weekly awards. The following week, Rizzo cemented her place as one of the leading libero’s in the conference by again picking up the defensive player of the week kudos.
At the conclusion of the season the numbers stacked up for Rizzo in a manner that reflected the direction of training implemented by Jones at the helm of the program. Rizzo set a new individual season total digs with 624, smashing the previous record of 514 held by Nicole Baker. Her average of 5.52 digs per set put her No. 1 in the Big Sky and No. 13 in the nation.
The outstanding 2018 season for Rizzo was topped off with a Second-Team all-Big Sky selection. The first for the program since Natalee Godfrey earned the same honor in 2013.
"Allyssa had an outstanding year and the recognition was well deserved and had been a long time coming," Jones commented. "The commitment to her craft truly paid-off. She was self-motivated, willing to do the work and take initiative to fulfill her dreams. I know Allyssa recognized the work of her teammates to put her in situations where she was able to find success.
In 2017, Jones, guided Montana State to a 10-16 overall mark and a 6-10 Big Sky slate. The Bobcats doubled its win total from 2016 and were in the hunt for a Big Sky tournament berth heading into the final week of play.
Highlighting Jones' first season at the helm was a win over Big Sky champion North Dakota in Grand Forks to snap the Fighting Hawks' 20-match home court win streak and a tournament championship at Utah State with victories over the Aggies, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. In addition, he led the Bobcats to a season sweep of rival Montana.
Following the most successful season in five years, Montana State Athletics Director Leon Costello removed the interim tag, making Jones, officially, the 11th head coach in MSU volleyball history at the conclusion of the 2017 season.
"Daniel is the right coach to lead the MSU volleyball program," Costello said at the time. "He is committed to the academic and athletic achievement of our student-athletes and continuing to build a program that will compete for Big Sky Conference championships. He has also assembled a great staff with the same qualities, and I am excited for the future of MSU volleyball."
Jones, who was formerly an assistant coach at Utah Valley, came to Montana State as then head coach JJ Riley's top assistant in February of 2015. The duo worked two seasons together at Utah, while the Utes made its transition from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12.
At UVU, Jones served as lead assistant and helped the Wolverines to a fourth place Western Athletic Conference finish. During his tenure in Orem, he served as recruiting coordinator and had responsibilities with opponent scouting, practice planning, team academic progress, camps, and social media. On the court, he worked with the middle blockers and setters. Jones helped UVU junior middle blocker Lauren Bakker to first-team all-WAC honors and middle blocker Madison Wolford to the WAC all-freshman squad.
Jones spent four seasons at Utah from 2010 to 2014, first serving as video and statistics coordinator, before moving into operations. As director of volleyball operations, he assisted with on-campus recruiting, while overseeing the team budget, travel, academic progress, camps, and social media. As the video and statistics coordinator, Jones provided video and statistical analysis for matches, scouting reports and managed film exchange.
A native of New Zealand, Jones also has coaching experience with USA Volleyball. He served as an assistant coach in USA Volleyball's A2 program, which worked with the top collegiate players in the nation. Jones assisted the head coach with practices, opponent scouting, game planning and match management.
In addition, Jones served as head coach of Club Utah. He helped guide the program to the 2011 Colorado Crossroads Open Division title. Jones has also been a lead court coach for Gold Medal Squared Volleyball camps.
He began his coaching career at Avondale College (Auckland, New Zealand), where he helped guide the program to the 2003 national championship, before taking over the head coaching position and claiming a third-place finish in 2006.
In 2002, Jones graduated from the University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand) with a bachelor’s degree in education, specializing in physical education. He is married to the former Lacee Koelliker, who served seven seasons as an assistant coach at Utah Valley, following a successful four-year stint as a player with the Wolverines. The couple has four children- Adalee, Kaden, Marra and Quinnlee.
"Bozeman and Montana State University is where we want to raise our family, it’s a place where we have put roots down, and we have invested in this program, the University and community," Jones said. "We are Bobcats, my children are Bobcats, and we couldn't be more excited to continue to grow as a family and to have the fine examples of character, integrity and selflessness that the young women of our program exude."
Daniel Jones, Montana State Head Coach 2017---
2021 Fall Season Highlights:
*2021 Spring Season (Covid-19)
“My vision for this program is centered around building the legacy of Montana State volleyball, to leave the program better than I found it, and leave the young women who give their all to it, better than I found them,” said Jones at the conclusion of last season. “My job is to create an environment of learning and growth that allows each person to elevate their position and their jersey to a higher place. We’re about creating a legacy of excellence that perpetuates itself continually, and last season we made big strides in living out this vision.”
The 2021 season was another step forward for the program, compiling an overall record of 15-14, the third straight winning season for Jones. It was also the fifth year in a row Bobcat volleyball put together a double-digit win season- the first time it has occurred since 2001-05.
“The athletes were incredible this past year,” Jones commented. “When you look at all that we went through from January to December, there were so many challenges, the credit goes to them, and to the staff for getting us to where we were this year.”
Highlighting the 2021 campaign was the all-Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year nod to Bozeman native, middle blocker, Jordan Radick. Joining her as all-Big Sky selections were seniors Allie Lynch and Hannah Scott, who were also joined by sophomores Kira Thomsen and Emma Pence.
Individually, Hannah Scott became the 16th member of the 1,000 kills club at Montana State. Pence, a product of Carson City, Nevada racked up 151 total blocks, earning her a top 20 ranking in the nation, which was good for seventh on the all-time single-season honor roll for MSU.
For the second time in three seasons, Jones led the program to the Big Sky Conference tournament. After defeating Northern Arizona in quarterfinal action, the Bobcats eventually fell to defending champion and host, Weber State, in five sets. Thomsen, an outside hitter from Parker, Colo., was recognized for her standout performances being named to the Big Sky All-Tournament Team.
“That was an incredibly high quality and entertaining volleyball match,” Jones commented following the loss to WSU. “It’s obviously hugely disappointing to fall at this point, but I am so proud of this team, for their commitment and toughness.”
The COVID-19 pandemic played havoc with the fall 2020 season. First it was on, then limited, then off… and finally it was pushed to the spring of 2021, in a limited conference format.
Throughout all of this Jones led the program to a 15-10 finish, which saw the Bobcats go into the last weekend of Big Sky play competing to win the overall regular season title.
Thomsen and Pence garnered all-Big Sky Conference First-Team accolades, while Scott and Jourdain Klein were second team selections.
The 2019 campaign was littered with highlights. Foremost was the record-breaking effort of senior libero Allyssa Rizzo, who on Oct. 3, broke the all-time digs record at Montana State, surpassing the old record of 1,730 career digs previously held by Kandice Kelly (2003-06).
"Rizzo's career breaking dig was nothing spectacular," Jones reflected on the night. "She was just doing her job. That is the thing with being a libero. Sometimes it's not glamourous work. But she ranked among the nation's leaders, led the Big Sky, and now has the school record. It's special. She just did her job, had no ego, and set a great example for what Bobcat volleyball is all about."
By the end of the 2019 season, Rizzo passed the 2,000-dig threshold, the first to do so in the Blue and Gold, finishing the season by smashing her own single-season dig record for a second consecutive year with 654 digs, accumulating a whopping 2,122 career saves and earning the Big Sky Libero of Year accolades along the way. She became just one of three players in Big Sky history to notch over 2,000 digs.
Also picking up all-conference selections were senior outside hitter Evi Wilson, and Scott, a right-side hitter. Both earned First-Team all-Big Sky honors. Wilson also added an all-Big Sky Tournament team selection to her list of accolades. It was the first time in program history that three athletes have received first-team all-conference honors in the same year.
Team highlights included defeating Idaho in Moscow for the first time since 1989- capping off a season sweep of the Vandals for the first time in over 31 years.
On Oct. 10, the Bobcats defeated Northern Arizona in Flagstaff for the first time since 2006 with a complete team effort that saw the match go extra points in the deciding set, led by then freshman Kira Thomsen with 17 kills.
Two weeks later, the Cats got the best of Sacramento State in a five-set thriller on the back of career-high kills efforts of 22 and 20 from Thomsen and Scott respectively, beating the Hornets for the first time since 2010.
The season of big wins in big moments also came at the Big Sky Tournament, where the Bobcats ticked off two achievements which indicated significant growth. MSU beat host Sacramento State at home for the first time in 22 years to earn their first conference tournament win since 2005.
“As I look back on the 2019 season, it truly was a year of ‘firsts,’” Jones said. “We did many things, both collectively as a team and individually, that hadn’t been done at Montana State for a long time. Rizzo’s achievements in the libero jersey, Wilson and Scott receiving accolades along with the ‘first in a long time’ wins made for a special and memorable year.
“The team highlight for me was what we were able to achieve at the Big Sky Tournament,” Jones added. “It’s benchmarks like these which confirm we are doing something special here at Montana State. Our goal is to keep building on our achievements. I have no doubt we are recruiting the right athletes and building the right culture which is going to lead to more and more ‘firsts’ for the program in the future.”
There was no question that the highlight of the 2018 season was the advancement of the Bobcats back to the Big Sky tournament for the first time since 2012 and just the second time since 2005. Along the way, Jones oversaw the second back-to-back double-digit win season for the first time since the 2004-2005 seasons. All of this was achieved in the face of several significant challenges.
“The toughness our young women shown during the 2018 season,” Jones stated. “Controlling the things that are within our control was a real area of growth. I could not be prouder as they put adversity aside and constantly focused on what they could do to move us forward.”
Securing the Seattle University Redhawk Invitational tournament title- the second non-conference tournament title in two years under Jones- was an early indication of the promise of the 2018 squad.
Individual milestones were plentiful. Rizzo earned her 1,000th- career dig, just the ninth Bobcat to do so. On Sept. 17, following their standout performances in an undefeated weekend at Seattle U, Rizzo and Wilson were recognized for their efforts, sweeping the Big Sky Conference Defensive and Offensive Player of the Week awards. It was the first time in program history that MSU athletes swept the conference weekly awards. The following week, Rizzo cemented her place as one of the leading libero’s in the conference by again picking up the defensive player of the week kudos.
At the conclusion of the season the numbers stacked up for Rizzo in a manner that reflected the direction of training implemented by Jones at the helm of the program. Rizzo set a new individual season total digs with 624, smashing the previous record of 514 held by Nicole Baker. Her average of 5.52 digs per set put her No. 1 in the Big Sky and No. 13 in the nation.
The outstanding 2018 season for Rizzo was topped off with a Second-Team all-Big Sky selection. The first for the program since Natalee Godfrey earned the same honor in 2013.
"Allyssa had an outstanding year and the recognition was well deserved and had been a long time coming," Jones commented. "The commitment to her craft truly paid-off. She was self-motivated, willing to do the work and take initiative to fulfill her dreams. I know Allyssa recognized the work of her teammates to put her in situations where she was able to find success.
In 2017, Jones, guided Montana State to a 10-16 overall mark and a 6-10 Big Sky slate. The Bobcats doubled its win total from 2016 and were in the hunt for a Big Sky tournament berth heading into the final week of play.
Highlighting Jones' first season at the helm was a win over Big Sky champion North Dakota in Grand Forks to snap the Fighting Hawks' 20-match home court win streak and a tournament championship at Utah State with victories over the Aggies, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. In addition, he led the Bobcats to a season sweep of rival Montana.
Following the most successful season in five years, Montana State Athletics Director Leon Costello removed the interim tag, making Jones, officially, the 11th head coach in MSU volleyball history at the conclusion of the 2017 season.
"Daniel is the right coach to lead the MSU volleyball program," Costello said at the time. "He is committed to the academic and athletic achievement of our student-athletes and continuing to build a program that will compete for Big Sky Conference championships. He has also assembled a great staff with the same qualities, and I am excited for the future of MSU volleyball."
Jones, who was formerly an assistant coach at Utah Valley, came to Montana State as then head coach JJ Riley's top assistant in February of 2015. The duo worked two seasons together at Utah, while the Utes made its transition from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12.
At UVU, Jones served as lead assistant and helped the Wolverines to a fourth place Western Athletic Conference finish. During his tenure in Orem, he served as recruiting coordinator and had responsibilities with opponent scouting, practice planning, team academic progress, camps, and social media. On the court, he worked with the middle blockers and setters. Jones helped UVU junior middle blocker Lauren Bakker to first-team all-WAC honors and middle blocker Madison Wolford to the WAC all-freshman squad.
Jones spent four seasons at Utah from 2010 to 2014, first serving as video and statistics coordinator, before moving into operations. As director of volleyball operations, he assisted with on-campus recruiting, while overseeing the team budget, travel, academic progress, camps, and social media. As the video and statistics coordinator, Jones provided video and statistical analysis for matches, scouting reports and managed film exchange.
A native of New Zealand, Jones also has coaching experience with USA Volleyball. He served as an assistant coach in USA Volleyball's A2 program, which worked with the top collegiate players in the nation. Jones assisted the head coach with practices, opponent scouting, game planning and match management.
In addition, Jones served as head coach of Club Utah. He helped guide the program to the 2011 Colorado Crossroads Open Division title. Jones has also been a lead court coach for Gold Medal Squared Volleyball camps.
He began his coaching career at Avondale College (Auckland, New Zealand), where he helped guide the program to the 2003 national championship, before taking over the head coaching position and claiming a third-place finish in 2006.
In 2002, Jones graduated from the University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand) with a bachelor’s degree in education, specializing in physical education. He is married to the former Lacee Koelliker, who served seven seasons as an assistant coach at Utah Valley, following a successful four-year stint as a player with the Wolverines. The couple has four children- Adalee, Kaden, Marra and Quinnlee.
"Bozeman and Montana State University is where we want to raise our family, it’s a place where we have put roots down, and we have invested in this program, the University and community," Jones said. "We are Bobcats, my children are Bobcats, and we couldn't be more excited to continue to grow as a family and to have the fine examples of character, integrity and selflessness that the young women of our program exude."
Daniel Jones, Montana State Head Coach 2017---
2021 Fall Season Highlights:
- 2021 was Jones’ fifth season at the helm of the Bobcat volleyball program.
- Produced a fifth consecutive double-digit winning season.
- Saw Bozeman native Jordan Radick named Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year
- Had four players named to the all-Big Sky Conference Second-Team, including Hannah Scott, Emma Pence, Kira Thomsen, and Jordan Radick.
- Witnessed Hannah Scott going over the 1,000-kill plateau to become 16th player in Bobcat history to accomplish the milestone.
- Led program to the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament, before dropping a five-set thriller to Weber State (15-12)- which was the farthest MSU has ever gone in league postseason play.
- Kira Thomsen earned all-Big Sky Tournament accolades
- Led MSU to fourth consecutive Big Sky tournament
- Guided MSU to No. 1 ranking in blocks, blocks per set and hitting percentage throughout the fall in Big Sky play, while also ranking among the nation’s top 50 in blocking
- Helped Emma Pence to a No. 1 ranking in Big Sky action and as high as No. 2 in the nation in blocks.
- Finished season with its third straight winning season.
- 2020 was fourth season as Head Coach at Montana State for Coach Jones
- Emma Pence named Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week during the season
- Kira Thomsen named Offensive Player of the Week
- Kira Thomsen and Emma Pence named First-Team all-Big Sky Conference
- Hannah Scott and Jourdain Klein named Second-Team all-Big Sky Conference
- Fourteen players named to all-Big Sky Conference Academic team
- Finished season with its second straight winning season, a milestone that hadn’t been reached since the 2003-04 campaign
- The Bobcats’ third-place Big Sky finish was also the best since 2004.
- Sweep Griz to win the first and second ever ‘Main Line’ Trophy against rival Montana
- 2019 was third season as Head Coach at Montana State for Coach Jones
- Produced the third double-digit win season in a row for the first time since insert dates
- First Big Sky Libero of the Year award in program history (Allyssa Rizzo, 2019)
- First All-Big Sky First Team selections since insert date (Evi Wilson and Hannah Scott, 2019)
- First Big Sky Conference Tournament win since 2005 (3-1 win over Sacramento State)
- First All-Big Sky Conference Tournament Team Selection since Insert date (Evi Wilson 2019)
- 4-2 All-time record vs the Griz
- Allyssa Rizzo breaks her own Bobcat All-Time Single Digs Record from 2018 (624) amassing 654 in 2019
- Allyssa Rizzo breaks Career All-Time digs record (2,122) previously held by Kandice Kelly (1,730) since 2006
- Bobcat Volleyball had 12 consecutive semesters of a team GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Nine players earned Big Sky All-Academic Honors
- Five Big Sky Conference Player of the week awards
- In 2018 completed second season as the Head Coach at MSU
- Produced back to back double-digit win season in first two seasons at the helm for the first time since 2004-2005
- First All-Big Sky Team selection since 2013 (Allyssa Rizzo, 2nd Team 2018)
- Bobcat Volleyball has had 10 semesters of a team GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Seven MSU players earned Big Sky All-Academic Honors
- 3-1 All-time record vs the Griz
- Evi Wilson (Offensive) & Allyssa Rizzo (Defensive) sweep Big Sky Conference Player of the Week Awards for the first time in program history on 09/17/18
- Allyssa Rizzo earns Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week award for a second time on 09/24/18
- Allyssa Rizzo breaks Bobcat All Time Single Season Digs Record (624) previously held by Nicole Baker (514) since 2011
- Became 11th Head Coach of Montana State Volleyball on Nov. 29 after completing 1st season as Head Coach at MSU under Interim tag after taking over from JJ Riley in May of 2017
- Doubled win total from 2016
- Completed the first double digit season win since 2012
- Season sweep of Griz, first time since 2005
- Nine MSU players earned Big Sky All-Academic Honors
- Bobcat Volleyball has had 8 semesters of a team GPA of 3.0 or higher
| 2021 | 15-14 | 10-6 | 4th | BSC Tournament Semifinals |
| 2021* | 10-5 | 10-4 | 3rd | BSC Tournament Quarterfinals |
| 2019 | 15-14 | 10-8 | 4th | BSC Tournament Semifinals |
| 2018 | 11-19 | 6-12 | 8th | BSC Tournament Quarterfinals |
| 2017 | 10-15 | 6-10 | 4th | |
| Total | 61-67 | 42-40 | .477 Overall Winning Percentage |
Matt Houk Introductory Press Conference
Wednesday, January 18
Daniel Jones Weekly Press Conference
Monday, November 15
Bobcat Classic: Arkansas vs. Portland
Saturday, September 04
Bobcat Classic: Arkansas vs. Utah State
Friday, September 03
