Joliet, IL: After building a 20-plus year resume of successfully leading collegiate, club and professional volleyball teams, Tom Welsh will look to bring those same winning traits to the University of St. Francis as he takes over both the Fighting Saints women’s team and the newly-created men’s program. He becomes the fifth head coach in the 45-year history of the women’s program – replacing the retiring Cara Currier – and the inaugural men’s volleyball coach in the 54-year history of the department.
“We are more than happy to have Tom take over the reins of the women’s program, while also building the men’s program,” said USF director of athletics Dave Laketa. “He has had a lot of experience coaching both genders and we are optimistic that he will bring the same level of success that he has had with each of his previous programs.”
St. Francis publicized the addition of men’s volleyball as a varsity sport on January 22, with plans to play a full varsity starting starting in January of 2027.
A national search was conducted immediately following that announcement with Welsh coming out as the top candidate. The veteran mentor got his start in coaching with the Naperville Volleyball Club before expanding his wings at the collegiate level in 2019 when he became the head women’s volleyball coach for Morton College, based in Cicero, Ill. He served in that capacity for two seasons before moving up the ranks to the professional level as an assistant men’s coach for the 630 Slunkers Professional Club. During his time with the Slunkers, Welsh concurrently served as the 630 and Serve City Women’s Volleyball Club Directors until 2023 when he accepted the position as head women’s volleyball coach at Joliet Junior College.
In 2025, Welsh was named the head coach at Trinity Christian College, where he led both the men’s and women’s volleyball programs. In his one season at TCC, he compiled an overall record of 14-16 (12-6) on the women’s side and guided the Trolls to their best record in five years and a fourth-place finish in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) standings despite taking over just prior to the start of the season and without the aid of any recruited athletes. For that accomplishment, he was named the 2025 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) North Central Region Coach of the Year.
One year ago, Welsh also added the assignment of technical instructor of Gold Medal Squared (GMS) coaching systems to his portfolio. In that role, he conducted on-court training sessions and clinics for athletes and coaches, while promoting best practices in skill execution, training design, feedback delivery and statistical analysis. He also provided mentorship and education to coaches nationwide through GMS clinics, camps and workshops, where he fostered professional growth and standardization of modern coaching principles.
“Having a good understanding of running two programs at the collegiate level at the same time and balancing that aspect of the job was one of the key things that we liked about Tom,” added Laketa. “Our search committee felt that with those characteristics, along with the passion, commitment and leadership ability that he brings to his programs, that made him a strong choice to become the next head coach of our two programs.”
Those interested in looking to join the women’s program or becoming a part of the inaugural men’s team can reach out to Welsh at twelsh@stfrancis.edu.
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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves more than 3,200 students worldwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 54,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.
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