Zach Shaver will enter his 10th season as head coach at Yavapai College in fall of 2022. He took over as head coach of the Roughrider program on April 1st, 2013. As head coach at Yavapai College, Shaver has led the team to an ACCAC record of 81-43 (.653 winning percentage) and 154-93 overall record (.623 winning percentage). In his tenure, the Roughriders have won 3 Region Championships, 2 District Championships, and 1 ACCAC Championship.The 2021 Spring season saw the team accomplish all 3.
Shaver has led the Roughriders into the Region 1 Playoffs for seven consecutive years (2015-22) and into the District Championship match in two of the last three seasons. In the spring of 2021, the Roughriders finished with an ACCAC record of 7-1 which led to the programs 1st ACCAC Championship (under Coach Shaver) and an overall record of 12-7. The 2021 squad got off to a slow start (0-4) as they faced nationally ranked competition in their opening tournament. Then the team switched gears to go 12-1 including another NJCAA Region 1 Championship over Arizona Western College and the District Championship over Hill College (TX). The Southwest District B Championship earned the team their second-ever trip to the National Championship Tournament in West Plains, MO.
Yavapai's other trip to the National Championship Tournament came in 2015 as they beat Seminole State for the District Championship.
Under Shaver's guidance several players have earned national recognition and awards.
Kierslynn Wright - NJCAA Second-Team All-American & AVCA Third-Team All-American
Liz Toiaivao - All-American 2nd Team & ACCAC Co-Player of the Year (2021 S)
Heather Wanninger ACCAC Libero of the Year (2019 & 2021 S)
Kennedy Wright - All-American 2nd Team (2019)
Iva Alebic - All-American 2nd Team (2015)
Jordan Tilley - ACCAC Setter of the Year (2015),
Kayle Park - NJCAA DI Player of Week (2015).
The Roughriders have excelled in the classroom as well under Shaver's tutelage. The Roughriders earned the AVCA Team Academic award for four consecutive years (2017-2021 S) which requires a 3.30 or higher team GPA and the NJCAA All-Academic team honors in six-straight years (2014-2019) which requires a 3.00 or higher team GPA.
Prior to Yavapai, Shaver spent seven years as head coach at NCAA DII Indiana University of Pennsylvania. There he guided the Crimson Hawks to 20-win seasons in two of the last three years. His best season at IUP came in 2010, when the Crimson Hawks finished with a record of 21-11 and earned a trip to the NCAA tournament for the second time during his time there. Under his guidance, six different players were selected to All-PSAC Team honors. His team also excelled in academics earning the AVCA Team Academic Award for five-consecutive years with the team GPA never below 3.40.
While in Pennsylvania, Shaver was selected by the Keystone Region Volleyball Association to be the head coach of the region’s High Performance Girls’ Select Team in the summer of 2009. The team traveled to Fort Lauderdale, FL, and earned a silver medal at the USAV High Performance Championships. Shaver’s team completed the five-day tournament with their only loss coming in the championship match to Southern California. Shaver and assistant Shay Moreno were then chosen to lead the KRVA High Performance Girls’ Select Team in the 2010 championships in Wisconsin Dells where they earned a bronze medal.
Prior to IUP, Shaver spent 4 years at Texas State, where he served as an assistant coach under the guidance of head coach Karen Chisum (the 6th winningest active head coach in NCAA DI). He was part of a coaching staff that turned around the fortunes of the Texas State volleyball program. After going 10-21 in 2002, the Bobcats had a record of 67-29 from 2003-05, won the Southland Conference title and played in the NCAA Division I tournament in 2004 and 2005.
Before heading to Texas State, Shaver was an assistant coach at California State University-Chico, from January to December 2000. He was interim head coach at Chico State from December 2000 to the following April.
Shaver was also the men’s club team head coach at Chico State from 1998-01 and the women’s club team head coach in 2002. He led his squads to ninth place finishes at the NIRSA national championship tournament in three-consecutive years, including the men’s team in 2000 and 2001 and the women’s squad in 2002.
Shaver earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from California State University-Chico in 2002 and received his master’s degree in sport and recreation management from Texas State in 2006.
Zach Shaver and his wife, Sandra, are the proud parents of Nicole, Matthew and Brandon.
