Women's Volleyball
Brandon Thich
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- bthich@uci.edu
- Phone:
- (949) 824 - 2320
Brandon Thich returns for his ninth year as a member of the UC Irvine women's volleyball staff, and first as associate head coach in 2026.
Thich has served as an assistant coach for the Anteaters since 2020, while he spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as a volunteer assistant. He has played an integral role in UCI's three-straight Big West Championship berths. Last year, the 'Eaters clinched their spot in the postseason with a sweep of eventual champion Cal Poly in the regular-season finale. They finished in a tie for sixth with Hawai‘i and held the head-to-head tiebreaker after a 3-0 victory over the Rainbow Wahine in October. In 2024, UC Irvine went 16-14 and defeated UH in its final conference match to qualify for the Big West Championship. That win also completed the Anteaters’ first ever season sweep of Hawai‘i as they previously upended the ‘Bows, 3-2, in Honolulu on Sept. 28.
In 2022, Thich helped guide the team to a 20-win campaign. The 'Eaters finished the year 20-10 overall and 13-7 in the Big West. The 20 victories were the fourth most in program history, while the 13 conference wins were a school record. He was also part of a 17-13 season in 2021 and was a volunteer in 2018 when UCI made its second-straight trip to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). Since coming to UCI, Thich has helped mentor 17 Anteaters to All-Big West honors, including a pair of Big West Freshman of the Year award winners.
In addition to coaching, Thich's 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 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.
Thich has served as an assistant coach for the Anteaters since 2020, while he spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as a volunteer assistant. He has played an integral role in UCI's three-straight Big West Championship berths. Last year, the 'Eaters clinched their spot in the postseason with a sweep of eventual champion Cal Poly in the regular-season finale. They finished in a tie for sixth with Hawai‘i and held the head-to-head tiebreaker after a 3-0 victory over the Rainbow Wahine in October. In 2024, UC Irvine went 16-14 and defeated UH in its final conference match to qualify for the Big West Championship. That win also completed the Anteaters’ first ever season sweep of Hawai‘i as they previously upended the ‘Bows, 3-2, in Honolulu on Sept. 28.
In 2022, Thich helped guide the team to a 20-win campaign. The 'Eaters finished the year 20-10 overall and 13-7 in the Big West. The 20 victories were the fourth most in program history, while the 13 conference wins were a school record. He was also part of a 17-13 season in 2021 and was a volunteer in 2018 when UCI made its second-straight trip to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). Since coming to UCI, Thich has helped mentor 17 Anteaters to All-Big West honors, including a pair of Big West Freshman of the Year award winners.
In addition to coaching, Thich's 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 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.
Wednesday, December 03
Tuesday, December 02
Tuesday, November 25
Friday, November 21
