University of California-Irvine Volleyball

Ashlie Hain is in her 10th season as the Anteater head coach, entering the season with a 135-133 overall record at UCI. Under Hain, the Anteaters have taken down four ranked teams, the last in 2023, upsetting No. 25 UC Santa Barbara, 3-1 at home. UCI also recorded upsets of No. 21 San Diego (2015), No. 7 USC (2016) and No. 11 Hawaii in 2019. In her tenue, Hain has coached 12 first team All-Big West performers, 12 honorable mention honorees and five All-Freshman team selections, including Big West Freshman of the Year in 2023 and 2018. In 2022, UCI finished the year 20-10 overall and 13-7 in the Big West. The 20 wins are the fourth most wins in program history and the 13 conference wins are a school record. Hain led the Anteaters to a 24-8 overall record in 2017, tying the school record for most victories in a season. After starting the year with a 12-1 non-conference mark, UCI went 10-6 in Big West action, finishing third, the highest finish since 2009. The team made its first postseason appearance since 2004, advancing to the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. Hain guided the Anteaters to back-to-back post-season appearances in 2017 and 2018, a feat that hadn't been done since 2003 and 2004 when Hain was a player. Hain, a starting setter on UC Irvine’s 2003 and 2004 NCAA Tournament teams, returned to her alma mater as the head coach in 2015. Hain, a two-time team captain for the Anteaters, played at UCI from 2001-04 and is still the career le

Brandon Thich returns for his fourth season as an assistant coach on the Anteater bench after serving two years as the volunteer assistant coach. He joined the Anteater staff as the Director of Operations/Technical Coordinator in the Spring of 2018. As an assistant coach for the Anteaters, Thich helped guide the team to a 17-13 record in 2021. He has helped mentor seven Anteaters to All-Big West honors in his time at UC Irvine to date. In addition to coaching, his primary responsibilities are assisting in planning workouts, training the serve and pass, defense, film break down, scouting, recruiting and helping with the day-to- day operations. He also coordinates, organizes, and promotes camps and clinics to further the legacy of attracting high-caliber student athletes to UCI. Along with collegiate coaching, Thich has deep ties to the club coaching world – coaching at highly competitive clubs like Sunshine Volleyball Club and Tstreet Volleyball Club. He has helped those clubs and his teams to earn multiple top 10 rankings with a handful of medal finishes at both qualifiers and USAV national championships. Thich, a Monterey, California native, currently resides in Newport Beach. He believes in being a good learner of not only the sport, but also in life. Practice and trainings should be tough but balanced with enjoying and embracing the challenges of the sport.