Ethan Pheister

Serving predominantly as the team’s defensive coordinator, Pheister has developed the team’s middle blockers into one of the best positional groups in the Southeastern Conference. In the modern scoring era (since 2001), he has trained four of the 11 student-athletes who have totaled 250 or more blocks, highlighted by Mikayla Robinson (2017-21) and Ellie Ruprich (2020-Present). The duo rank third and fifth, respectively, for total blocks in the program’s 50-year history. As a team, the Gamecocks have consistently ended the season in the top three of the SEC and top 50 nationally for average blocks per set during Pheister’s tenure.

“This is a title that is well deserved and probably overdue,” Mendoza said. “Ethan has been here for some of the best seasons in program history and is a driving force across many aspects of our program. He’s one of the top coaches in the country because of his dedication to helping our student-athletes develop and I’ve felt fortunate to keep him on staff for the last six seasons and hopefully many more successful years moving forward.

In his previous stop, LSU turned itself around in 2017, going from nine wins in the previous season to 20 wins and an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Pheister also had prior experience coaching in the SEC, spending the 2012 season at Arkansas and helping the Razorbacks make the national tournament.

Prior to Baton Rouge, Pheister was at Duquesne for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, helping the Dukes make the NCAA tournament for the first time ever in his first season.

“There are a lot of things that are exciting about what’s going on at South Carolina right now,” Pheister said. “The vision that Tom and Shonda have of what this program can be matches up with what I see as well. I’m really excited to be a part of that process and see where we can take this program. This is a team that’s on the precipice of taking that next step.”

His keen eye for running offenses stems from a standout career as a student-athlete at Ball State. He picked up three all-conference honors in his time as a Cardinal, and finished with over 4,000 career assists.

After his playing career at Ball State, he joined the University of Cincinnati’s coaching staff. The Bearcats finished the 2011 season at 27-10 overall, claiming the Big East Tournament title and making it to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“A lot of my previous stops showed me what it takes to be successful at different levels,” Pheister said. “I’ve experienced success at the mid-major level as well as at the SEC level, and I have the mindset now of what kind of players and skills we’ll need to be successful.”

Outside of the college ranks, Pheister served as the club coach for the Munciana Volleyball Club and High Performance Volleyball Club in Missouri.

Pheister and his partner, Jen Vilkoski, have two children together, Amelia and Conrad.