Joe Bonner

    Now in his fifth season at the helm of the Youngstown State volleyball program, head coach Joe Bonner is beginning to see his vision of turning the Penguins into a Horizon League contender become a reality.
    He’s completely reshaped the program by recruiting top-level players, scheduling nationally-ranked teams and establishing the same mentality that got him to five NCAA Tournaments as an assistant.
    Bonner's success in recruiting continued in the recent offseason when he brought in two highly-regarded student-athletes to replace three-year starters. Setter Angela Roidt was recognized as one of the top 250 seniors in the nation, and outside hitter Suzanne Lasseigne earned High School All-America honors. Bonner also attracted athletic middle hitter Martina Davis and third-team All-Ohio defensive specialist Brittany Holland.
    The Penguins got off to a strong start in 2008 under Bonner and assembled a long list of accomplishments. YSU got off to a 7-3 start for the second time in Bonner's tenure, and the team won tournaments at Charlotte and Robert Morris.
    YSU also picked up its first-ever three-set sweep in a Horizon League match last season on Sept. 20, and the Guins went on to win in straight sets at Green Bay on Nov. 7. The Penguins also won at Loyola, marking the first time that the program won two Horizon League road matches in the same season.
    On the individual level, Bonner saw the career culmination of Karla Everhart and Ebony Barbosa, who were part of his first recruiting class. Everhart finished her career with 3,339 assists as a three-year mainstay at setter, and Barbosa wrapped up her career with 985 kills and 1,061 digs.
    Additionally, 2009 senior Ruth Boscaljon led the Horizon League in blocks per set and ranked second in attack percentage. Her efforts at the net helped Youngstown State rank 30th nationally in blocks.
    In each of Bonner's first three seasons, the team showed a marked improvement in the win column and its competitiveness on the court.
    During the 2007 campaign, Bonner guided the Penguins to their highest win total (12) since they won 14 in the Mid-Continent Conference in 2000.
    The Guins finished seventh in the Horizon League - a school best since joining the conference in 2001 - and won more league matches than the previous six seasons combined. YSU defeated league runner-up Valparaiso twice, and five of its conference losses came in five sets.
    For the second straight season, a YSU player was named to the All-Horizon League Team when Jessica Fraley earned the postseason honor.
    Fraley, who earned CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honors and Academic All-League laurels, became just the ninth player in history to record 1,000 career kills. Her 427 kills in 2007 also rank fourth on the YSU single-season kills list. She went on to be named YSU’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
    In May 2006, Bonner’s signed a recruiting class ranked in the top 100 by prepvolleyball.com that has helped lead the progression.
    One of those recruits, Boscaljon, became the first Youngstown State volleyball player to earn All-Horizon League honors and just the second player in school history to garner a newcomer-of-the-year award.
    Utilizing three freshmen and two limited-experienced sophomores for much of the 2006 season, the Penguins turned in a three-match improvement in the win column from Bonner’s first year.
    Boscaljon set a YSU freshman record with 363 kills and 115 blocks while Everhart dished out 1,125 assists as a sophomore.
    During his initial campaign, Bonner guided the Penguins through an injury-plagued 7-22 season, but he instilled a strong competitive desire. Included in the Penguins’ losses were five five-set setbacks, all to Horizon League foes. Abby Ettenhofer, Katie Shea and Crystal Duncan each capped their playing days with career-best numbers. Off the court, Ettenhofer, the president of YSU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was named Second-Team Academic All-America, becoming just the second YSU volleyball player to accomplish that feat.
    Bonner came to YSU after spending two seasons as the top assistant coach at the University of Dayton. He helped the Flyers to a two-year mark of 49-16 and two trips to the NCAA Tournament.
    While at Dayton, Bonner worked primarily with the middle hitters and blockers. In addition to his on-court duties, he was responsible for team travel, game operations and assisting with recruiting.
    Prior to Dayton, Bonner spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Robert Morris, helping the Colonials to three consecutive Northeast Conference titles and three straight NCAA Tournaments. Under his guidance, four middle hitters received all-conference honors and one earned NEC Player-of-the-Year accolades for two consecutive years.
    Outside of the college realm, Bonner also has four years of collegiate club volleyball coaching experience.
    A 1997 graduate of Frostburg State University, Bonner’s club team made two national tournament appearances, as well as three years of USAV competition.
    A native of Huntingtown, Md., Bonner received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Frostburg State.
    Joe and his wife, Kelly, who was a four-year volleyball letterwinner at Mars Hills College, reside in Austintown, Ohio.