New Coach, Eh? A Sit Down With New AC Canadian Ben Josephson

The Texas Volleyball team announced yesterday that Ben Josephson has accepted a position on the coaching staff. He will begin immediately as an Associate Head Coach, filling the void left by Erik Sullivan, who departed for the head coaching job of the USA Women's National Team.

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Josephson arrives in Austin with a wealth of experience coaching volleyball at many levels. He became the head coach of Trinity Western University Men's Volleyball in the greater Vancouver area at the ripe age of 27, leading the Canadian powerhouse to 5 national championships from 2007-2022 and earning 4 National Coach of the Year awards along the way. He also has international experience on both the men's and women's side of the game. Most notably, Josephson led the Canadian Men's National Team to a VNL appearance in 2022 and coached the Women's National Team to a 2020 VNL qualification. He's spent the last two years involved in women's NCAA volleyball as an Associate Head Coach under Craig Skinner at Kentucky.

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The relationship runs deep between Josephson and the Texas staff. His team would often play against the Pepperdine men's team when it was headed by current Texas Associate Head Coach David Hunt. In fact, Josephson even hired Hunt as an Assistant Coach for the Canadian National Team just prior to Hunt making the move to Texas in 2022. 

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Josephson's hiring at Texas was long in the making. In a recent interview with VB Adrenaline, he recalls a time when Coach Elliott told him "If I ever lose one of my guys, I'm gonna give you a call, and sure enough when Erik got hired with the National Team, Jerritt was a man of his word." This existing chemistry between coaches should allow the staff to hit the ground running. "A lot of the things that staffs have to go through, David and I have already worked through that."

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Josephson adds to an ever-growing list of Texas coaches that have brought men's volleyball experience to the table, a perspective Coach Elliott has embraced to refine his squad. Comparing men's and women's volleyball, "the two games at the highest level are very much blending together,” said Josephson. Specifically, he highlights Madi Skinner's back row attacking and Jenna Wenaas' shot variation as examples of traits traditionally found more on the men's side of the game.

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"One of the strengths of my men's teams was we really worked hard on details, mechanics, ball control—the types of things that are considered 'women's volleyball'" he said, adding "the fact they're already on that path, it's really exciting for me because you don't have to turn the ship, you just have to get aboard and row a little harder." This hiring for Texas will further contribute towards this blending of the men's and women's games at the highest level.

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"We are very excited to welcome Ben and his family to our program," Elliott said in an official statement released by Texas. "He's the perfect fit for this team and will help us continue to be one of the most elite programs in the NCAA. Ben's recent success at Kentucky, experience in both the men's and women's game, as well as his many years working in international volleyball brings a level of knowledge and excellence that will be invaluable as he helps us strive to continue to build on our success here. We're looking forward to what's to come and what Ben brings to our program."

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On the departure of Erik Sullivan, Josephson commented "I couldn't be more excited for him and the National Team and what I think he's gonna be able to do there—obviously huge shoes to fill." He has no plans to be a one-for-one replacement though. As opposed to Sullivan's more defensive-minded approach, Josephson said "my mind has always leaned towards the offensive side of the game... setting creativity has always been an important piece to me," adding "David will probably slide a little bit more into that [defensive] phase, I'll probably pick up a bit more of the offensive phase, especially with the setters." Look for the Canadian to potentially take the reins on coaching Ella Swindle as the staff works out their exact roles and responsibilities heading into the 2025 season.

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Josephson arrives in Austin ready to compete for a National Championship. For him, there's one thing that differentiates championship-caliber teams, saying "I think the root of it is how you maximize the personnel you have... if these are the tools we have to accomplish those goals, then how do we leverage these people in a system that allows it to be repeatable under the most amount of pressure possible... Jerritt's superpower is that he finds ways to put people to their strength areas and then he lets them have a good runway to do what they're great at." And at Texas, there are a lot of possibilities given the personnel. "The cool part when I'm thinking about this Texas roster and the qualities the players have, I don't think there's a limitation."

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Another draw for Josephson is the broader NCAA volleyball landscape. "I came down to take a look at the chaos and craziness of NCAA women's volleyball, and how exciting it is. The fans at the Gregory, and the excitement around that program—that place is shaking," adding "women's volleyball overall right now is just booming... and Texas is right at the point of the spear of the whole thing." 

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He also talked about the importance of this being the right spot on a personal level for him and his family. He has fully bought into the culture, saying "the value they have on the holistic development of the person was really refreshing too, it's not surprising that great players are great people... that really hits home with my values." For him, the decision came down to "How can I be a really great parent, and a really great husband, and be a great coach all together?" He felt Austin was the right spot to relocate with his wife, Jen, and his three children Cooper, Zeke, and Gracie. And perhaps most importantly, "there's pretty good hockey in Austin too."