Tom Hunter is entering his second season as an assistant coach at Northern Colorado, where he primarily works with the Bears’ middle blockers.

Hunter came to Greeley with more than six years of experience at the club, high school and college levels. His most recent assignment prior to joining the Bears was as a recruiting coordinator for the NORCO Volleyball Club in fall 2006. He was also head coach of the 16-and-under team, which he led to a top-two finish in the state and top-30 ranking in the nation in 2005-06.

Hunter previously coached at Poudre High School in Fort Collins, Colo., Helix High School in La Mesa, Calif., and at Cuyamaca College and Valhalla High School in El Cajon, Calif. He led Valhalla to five conference championships and a San Diego County title in his time there.

Hunter played collegiate volleyball from 1996-99 at San Diego State, where he was ranked top 15 in the nation in blocks, hitting percentage and kills per game during the 1998-99 season. He was also a two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection and was named his team’s most valuable player in 1998-99.

“Tom primarily trains our middle attackers and all of our blocking,” Benson says. “Being a great middle blocker himself as a player, he understands the game and knows how to translate it to the women’s game.

“Our middles are a key part of our offense because they are quick and aggressive. That is a credit to Tom’s training in the last year with Allison and Taylor. Our program is incredibly blessed to have Tom as a part of our staff.”

Hunter received his bachelor of arts degree in social science from San Diego State in 1999 and his teaching credential in 2001.