Involved in all aspects of the Penn State men’s volleyball program as a player, assistant coach and head coach and one of the winningest and well-respected coaches in the sport, Mark Pavlik enters his 29th year at the helm of the Nittany Lion men’s volleyball program in Happy Valley in 2022-23.
As a player, he was a setter under legendary coach Tom Tait. For five years prior to his promotion, Pavlik served as coach Tom Peterson’s top assistant. During that time, the Nittany Lions compiled a 111-39 record and made four NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by the 1994 national title.
He has coached 30 different players to 55 All-America awards. At least three of Pavlik’s players have earned first- or second-team All-East/All-EIVA accolades in each season of his tenure as head coach of the Nittany Lions.
Pavlik’s coaching experiences have spanned more than just the collegiate level with Penn State. His coaching career began, as many do, at the high school level, but he climbed the ladder into the collegiate and international ranks in addition to taking on administrative roles within the sport.
He was a member of the AVCA Board of Directors as well as chairman of the AVCA All-America committee. Pavlik was also named EIVA Coach of the Year from 1995-97 and served as the Head of Delegation for the defending Olympic champion USA men’s volleyball team at the America’s Cup in Brazil in September 2008.
