2025 Season

[Oxbow6]

Chavez make a call to see if he can lure Hardee away from his short bus driver route??

[jdub27]

Kind of surprised and disappointed this hire didn't work out. Credentials looked good coming in.
On to the search...

[forksandspoons]

Poach a coach from SDSU. 

[Dustin]

1 hour ago, forksandspoons said:

Poach a coach from SDSU. 

Sort of ironic, but when UND was dominating volleyball, SDSU was the laughingstock. 

[HockeyHawk]

3 hours ago, jdub27 said:

Kind of surprised and disappointed this hire didn't work out. Credentials looked good coming in.
On to the search...

When the athletic department is a dumpster fire programs within said department become a dumpster fire. 

[gfhockey]

10 minutes ago, HockeyHawk said:

When the athletic department is a dumpster fire programs within said department become a dumpster fire. 

Any sources on how the morale is?

[lawkota]

I honestly felt this was a home run hire.  

For whatever reason, his teams could not finish.  They could not finish off sets when they were up late, they could not finish off games when they were up a set.  And they seemed to crumble when play went against them.

[sioux24/7]

How about Chad Braegelmann from SCSU? 

[UND92,96]

44 minutes ago, sioux24/7 said:

How about Chad Braegelmann from SCSU? 

I think he actually makes more money than Tupac did. But if UND were going to pay at a level more commensurate with what it's going to take to be competitive in volleyball, I think he'd be an excellent candidate.

[Dustin]

1 hour ago, lawkota said:

I honestly felt this was a home run hire.  

For whatever reason, his teams could not finish.  They could not finish off sets when they were up late, they could not finish off games when they were up a set.  And they seemed to crumble when play went against them.

I was right there with you.

[coachdags]

On 11/19/2025 at 3:33 PM, Big Green said:

Time will tell, but Hockey, Football and Soccer seems to be moving in the right direction.  Way too early to tell with W. Basketball.  He inherited a mess.

 

One could argue that Hockey and football were already in the system, Coaches that were elevated or came back.

I have yet to see Chaves hire a Coach and produce consistently an above .500 Season in a major Sport.

We have had some successes in Tennis, Track, Golf (individually). Still waiting for a "Home Run" Hire?

[jdub27]

28 minutes ago, UND92,96 said:

I think he actually makes more money than Tupac did. But if UND were going to pay at a level more commensurate with what it's going to take to be competitive in volleyball, I think he'd be an excellent candidate.

I think you're right, but it is pretty close. Not an amount that should be an issue if he's the right candidate.

[undVBfan]

This one is an enigma to me. I've been around for quite a while and I really thought this was a good hire. Great pedigrees, young, energetic, personable, out in the community - they hit all of the things I wanted in the new hire. They inherited a program in a rough place and got to the league tournament in his first year. I really thought the program was primed to get back to the Hardee/Prior era, not just in term of wins but in fans in the seats and overall excitement regarding the program.

Unfortunately the team hasn't got it done. I don't know if they couldn't get the players they really wanted, or if they got the players they wanted and it turned out they weren't the players they needed? Ball control has been a major problem (NO team has too much ball control 😁), and it seems they are always trying to run an offense faster than their passing allows. Lack of outsides who can consistently terminate off of shaky passes didn't help, but physical 6'+ outsides with a live arm are pretty hard to come by. Consistent connections with the middles hasn't really happened since Stockman and Dell, which doesn't make the life of the outsides any easier.

I don't know that there was anything close to a starting line up this year for literally the entire year. We're not in practice, and don't know who is hurt, or who's doing what, but it seems strange that a line up wasn't solidified at some point in the season. It seems that a lot of people have to be questioning their role, both this year and looking forward. It'll be interesting to see what the roster looks like come January, and then again in May. The portal opens in early December. We have a LOT of players added in the past year, some saw some playing time and others not so much. And a couple that used to see a lot of playing time in the previous year or two who saw much less this past year. It'll be interesting to see who sticks around long enough to see what the new coach has to say and then who sticks around after that. I saw a few of the "newer" players start to step up towards the end of the season, we'll see who is willing to stick around for the hopeful rebuild next season.

Regarding potential coaches, I've been told Brady has it *nice* at CSP. It he really wanted to leave he would have been gone a long time ago. He's been winning a lot for a long time and has had plenty of opportunities. I suspect we'll look for someone not unlike the Tupac's, a DI assistant, strong background, and looking for a place to make a name for themselves in their first HC position. I liked the Tupac's and wish it would have worked out, but here we are. I wish the same for whomever is next. 

For the Tupac's I have nothing but positive thoughts and the hope that this ends up being a great learning experience and that their next great adventure (not counting the little one on the way) is successful. And best of luck with what I thought I read was a little boy. Either way, best of luck. And get some sleep now, it'll be in short supply for a while. 😀

[UND1983]

Recruiting.  That's it.  Get better players that care about UND and they will win.  No, they don't need to go to California, Texas and Canada to get volleyball players.  The state's around us are really good at it.

[undVBfan]

9 hours ago, UND1983 said:

Recruiting.  That's it.  Get better players that care about UND and they will win.  No, they don't need to go to California, Texas and Canada to get volleyball players.  The state's around us are really good at it.

I absolutely agree it is easier to recruit talent than to develop talent. If you have any secrets on how to know how talented a 17/18 year old will be in 3-5 years *please* offer up what you can. 😁 

While I agree we need players who are committed to UND, I think that develops from the culture of the team and their experiences while here. They'll come for opportunity and scholarships. They'll stay if we find people who are willing to invest in the process and are surrounded by others willing to do the same. I'm sure everyone is wonderful while being recruited, recognizing those who can really make a difference over their potential 4-5 years at UND is a whole other challenge. And by difference, I don't mean just talent, but in the locker room, and everything/everywhere else it takes to make 13+ players become a successful team.

[loyalundfan]

Anyone know when the search starts? Or if it’s in the works yet?

[gfhockey]

31 minutes ago, loyalundfan said:

Anyone know when the search starts? Or if it’s in the works yet?

Per source after the new year due to tiffin stil on payroll until thrn

[nodak651]

On 11/20/2025 at 4:33 PM, jdub27 said:

Kind of surprised and disappointed this hire didn't work out. Credentials looked good coming in.
On to the search...

Same here.  It also makes one wonder if there are other reasons for the lack of success in recent years.  I'm not necessarily blaming Chaves at this point, but I do know that he really likes soccer.... UND cut women's hockey (not because of Chaves) in the spring of 2017, and women's soccer took over the women's hockey team areas in the ralph, I believe, at the start of the 2017-18 season.  Since then, has the Soccer program received increased support at the expense of volleyball?  Has volleyball fallen behind as a result of program constraints that we may not be aware of?  Is the program still being run the same way it was in the Big Sky, where we were successful, and they haven't kept up because peer programs have grown in ways that volleyball at UND hasn't?  Volleyball used to be the clear #2 program at UND, with nearly as much fan support as women's basketball.  Has Chaves used the majority of new funds on soccer rather then volleyball, in an effort to prop up his favorite sport?  Logically, it would make some sense from a title ix perspective, if they were trying to prop up soccer to take the place of women's hockey, but then again he was recently served with a title ix lawsuit from the former soccer coach...   

Sorry - long rant.  I guess I'm asking if the coach is actually the issue and would a new coach actually change anything without further investments in support staff, assistant coaching, travel, food, etc?  I have no idea where volleyball stands in that regard relative to other Summit/Big Sky programs and I'm not making any accusations.  But if that isn't the case, the huge drop off of the volleyball program in recent years just doesn't make much sense?  Can anyone with more insight talk about where the program stands in area's the typical fan doesn't see?  I know the new training room, weight room reno, film room, and nutrition areas in the Betty must have helped a lot, but that clearly isn't everything.  Is there a lack of practice amenities/time/space/availability/flexibility that is causing issues?  They are still sharing the same space with the basketball programs for example... do good players not want to come here because there isn't a dedicated space for them to take extra reps whenever they want to?  UND has had an addition for extra basketball/volleyball practice space on their master plan for over a decade now.... how much of an impact would that have on the basketball and volleyball programs, if any?

[jdub27]

I think with were institutional support was for the soccer team and where their practice field was, it made sense to do what they did.

I don't know of any issues with funding the program but there's no doubt a dedicated practice facility for VB/WBB/MBB would be helpful for all the teams. Don't know what the status for that is but I would guess the looming drop-dead date of the REA transition is playing a part in nothing being done there (for the record, I think that it will be, and honestly should be, extended but with some modifications to the usage agreement to funnel additional money to UND).

I think UND made a home run hire 15 years ago who built up the program to where it was. I never got the feeling his replacement was fully bought-in at UND and it started a bit of a decline and he bolted when given the chance (and probably saw a bigger drop-off coming). The next coach just wasn't it. Don't really know why the last one didn't succeed. 

[nodak651]

4 hours ago, jdub27 said:

I think with were institutional support was for the soccer team and where their practice field was, it made sense to do what they did.

I don't know of any issues with funding the program but there's no doubt a dedicated practice facility for VB/WBB/MBB would be helpful for all the teams. Don't know what the status for that is but I would guess the looming drop-dead date of the REA transition is playing a part in nothing being done there (for the record, I think that it will be, and honestly should be, extended but with some modifications to the usage agreement to funnel additional money to UND).

I think UND made a home run hire 15 years ago who built up the program to where it was. I never got the feeling his replacement was fully bought-in at UND and it started a bit of a decline and he bolted when given the chance (and probably saw a bigger drop-off coming). The next coach just wasn't it. Don't really know why the last one didn't succeed. 

I'd potentially be fine with that if there were a significant shift in the selection process and membership makeup of the REA board and the boards of the related enteties.  For example, keep KEM if she truly is excited and invested in the success of UND athletics as a whole, keep Jody and Bergeron.  Beyond that, imo, board members should be the University President, AD, Deputy AD, a Senior Associate AD, and perhaps someone from the Alumni Foundation.   ALL net Income after setting aside money for the facilities improvement fund should/would also need to go back to UND, as originally intended (and which to my current understanding, isn't happening). 

At the end of the day though, I've got to hope UND takes 2030 as an opportunity to completely overhaul the organisation and operation of UND athletics and the related enteties.  With seperate organizations in the Alumni Foundation (runs champions club), the REA, and UND Athletics, it's got to be a chore to get anything organized quickly and efficiently and effectively when it comes to, essentially, anything..  I really think UND needs to figure out a way to elevate the fundraising arm of the alumni association so it is more effective and in sync with the REA and athletics, especially now at a time when "internal nil" has become a thing.  The REA and the alumni association need to work more closely when it comes to capital planning.  Messaging and Marketing between the three organizations has been lacking for some time now as well... There is a lot of redundency between the REA and UND Athletics admin in areas like marketing and finance.  Do we need two head marketing and finance people between the two organizations, or would we see better results (for less money) if there was a single marketing/finance staff that is a little bit larger and more flexible than what we have now?

I think with the current setup of the REA, I think it's innevitable that employees of each organization will have an us vs them approach to a multitude of potential issues as they relate to power/control/their jobs.  The REA and UND athletics as a whole need to work more closely together for our of our programs to reach their potential, imo.  Splitting so much staff between the two organization is the opposite of the US/WE mentality that is needed, imo.

Even when the 3 organizations are on good terms, there is just too much beuracracy for UND to reach it's potential, imo, because both large and small decisions need to get run up the ladder within 3 different organizations.  How hard must it be for a low level employee to make change when their own boss needs 1 or 2 other organizations to sign off on certain things?     

An example of why I think all of the above is an issue -> the new seating at the Betty.  The bleachers up against the wall suck... it just does.  The REA paid for it, great, and it's good enough for them.  Was our AD truly bought in with the plan and result, or did they compromise because the REA wasn't will to spend more money on a better seating solution?  That practice facility that hasn't been built yet, must UND wait to start fundraising for it because it is part of the REA?  Can UND even build an addition there legally?  What if the REA thinks the current setup is suitable and they don't want to contribute money towards that?  UND has no control or leverage in such a situation.

[gfhockey]

Per source rea is not going to und

 

you can book that!

[SIOUXFAN97]

49 minutes ago, nodak651 said:

I'd potentially be fine with that if there were a significant shift in the selection process and membership makeup of the REA board and the boards of the related enteties.  For example, keep KEM if she truly is excited and invested in the success of UND athletics as a whole, keep Jody and Bergeron.  Beyond that, imo, board members should be the University President, AD, Deputy AD, a Senior Associate AD, and perhaps someone from the Alumni Foundation.   ALL net Income after setting aside money for the facilities improvement fund should/would also need to go back to UND, as originally intended (and which to my current understanding, isn't happening). 

At the end of the day though, I've got to hope UND takes 2030 as an opportunity to completely overhaul the organisation and operation of UND athletics and the related enteties.  With seperate organizations in the Alumni Foundation (runs champions club), the REA, and UND Athletics, it's got to be a chore to get anything organized quickly and efficiently and effectively when it comes to, essentially, anything..  I really think UND needs to figure out a way to elevate the fundraising arm of the alumni association so it is more effective and in sync with the REA and athletics, especially now at a time when "internal nil" has become a thing.  The REA and the alumni association need to work more closely when it comes to capital planning.  Messaging and Marketing between the three organizations has been lacking for some time now as well... There is a lot of redundency between the REA and UND Athletics admin in areas like marketing and finance.  Do we need two head marketing and finance people between the two organizations, or would we see better results (for less money) if there was a single marketing/finance staff that is a little bit larger and more flexible than what we have now?

I think with the current setup of the REA, I think it's innevitable that employees of each organization will have an us vs them approach to a multitude of potential issues as they relate to power/control/their jobs.  The REA and UND athletics as a whole need to work more closely together for our of our programs to reach their potential, imo.  Splitting so much staff between the two organization is the opposite of the US/WE mentality that is needed, imo.

Even when the 3 organizations are on good terms, there is just too much beuracracy for UND to reach it's potential, imo, because both large and small decisions need to get run up the ladder within 3 different organizations.  How hard must it be for a low level employee to make change when their own boss needs 1 or 2 other organizations to sign off on certain things?     

An example of why I think all of the above is an issue -> the new seating at the Betty.  The bleachers up against the wall suck... it just does.  The REA paid for it, great, and it's good enough for them.  Was our AD truly bought in with the plan and result, or did they compromise because the REA wasn't will to spend more money on a better seating solution?  That practice facility that hasn't been built yet, must UND wait to start fundraising for it because it is part of the REA?  Can UND even build an addition there legally?  What if the REA thinks the current setup is suitable and they don't want to contribute money towards that?  UND has no control or leverage in such a situation.

you know i have to......

 

[SIOUXFAN97]

26 minutes ago, gfhockey said:

Per source rea is not going to und

 

you can book that!

whose getting it?

kauker?

[gfhockey]

1 minute ago, SIOUXFAN97 said:

whose getting it?

kauker?

Staying with rea board

[SIOUXFAN97]

4 minutes ago, gfhockey said:

Staying with rea board

sue their asses...breach of contract!!!