TicketsCINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati Director of Athletics John Cunningham announced on Monday the hire of Danijela Tomić as the Bearcats' head volleyball coach.
Tomić will be the 13th head coach in program history.
Cincinnati will hold a formal introductory press conference in the coming weeks.
Tomić comes to UC from Bowling Green, where she served as head coach for 13 seasons. She also spent seven seasons as head coach of Florida International. Her record as an NCAA head coach stands at 394-222 (.640).
Overall, she has guided her teams to five NCAA Tournament appearances and seen her players collect nine All-America honors. Tomić is a six-time conference coach of the year.
"Danijela Tomić is the perfect choice to lead our volleyball program," Cunningham said. "She has demonstrated a remarkable ability to build championship-level teams and cultivate success at every stop in her career. Her dedication to developing student-athletes both on and off the court aligns perfectly with our vision for the program. We are confident she will lead us into an exciting new era of Bearcats volleyball."
In 13 seasons as head coach at BGSU, she led the Falcons to five MAC regular-season titles, three MAC Tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program's first NCAA Tournament win in 2012. She was named MAC Coach of the Year three times at Bowling Green, most recently winning the honor in 2024.
"I'm honored to accept the role as head coach of the University of Cincinnati volleyball program and eager to shape its future as we lead the Bearcats to prominence in the Big 12," Tomić said.
"I am grateful to John Cunningham and the University of Cincinnati administration for giving me the opportunity to build a culture of excellence both on and off the court and to compete for championships. I look forward to start working with the team, engaging with the UC community and beginning the process of achieving great things together.
"I am forever grateful to Bowling Green State University, the Bowling Green community and especially my incredible former student-athletes for their trust, dedication and belief in me and our shared vision. The memories and success we built together over 13 years will always hold a special place in my heart.
"Now, I look forward to bringing that same passion, hard work and commitment to the UC community as we begin this exciting journey together."
Under her leadership, the Falcons secured seven 20-win seasons, reached the MAC Tournament Championship match five consecutive years (2019-2023), and set program records for winning streaks and overall performance.
Tomić's teams earned All-MAC recognition in each of her 13 seasons at Bowling Green, including at least one All-MAC First Team honoree in nine consecutive years, and posted five straight seasons with an All-Region member.
In 2024, Tomić led the Falcons to 25 victories, the highest single-season total during her tenure, and guided the team to an NIVC runner-up finish. Bowling Green also captured the MAC regular-season title with a 16-2 conference record, tied for the second-most MAC wins in program history during an 18-match schedule.
Under her guidance, Bowling Green produced two AVCA All-Americans—Lauryn Hovey, an Honorable Mention in 2024, and Petra Indrova, who earned Honorable Mention honors in both 2021 and 2022.
She led BGSU to back-to-back MAC regular-season titles in 2017 and 2018 as well as 2020-21 and 2022. During the 2020-21 season, the program saw an 18-0 start in MAC play, marking the best conference start in both MAC and BGSU Athletics history.
In 2012, she guided the Falcons to a MAC Tournament title and an NCAA appearance in her first season at BGSU. The Falcons topped Yale in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for BGSU's first NCAA Tournament win.
Prior to her arrival at Bowling Green, Tomić was a three-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year at Florida International. In seven years as head coach at FIU, she compiled a record of 158-61 (.721).
A 1999 graduate of Arkansas-Little Rock, Tomić was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2006, 2008, and 2009, guiding the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in each of those last two seasons. The 2009 team set a program record by going 32-4, which included a 17-0 mark in conference play.
Tomić took over at FIU in 2005 and made an immediate impact as her team improved by 12 wins over the previous season and reached the SBC Tournament as the No. 6 seed after missing out in two of the previous three years before her arrival.
In seven years at FIU, her players earned six AVCA All-American awards, two Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year honors, and 24 All-Sun Belt Conference awards. Under her tutelage, Yarimar Rosa, was named AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year.
Prior to her time at FIU, Tomić was an assistant coach at LSU during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Before that, she spent six years as an assistant coach at her alma mater UALR from 1997-03.
She played at UALR from 1995-97 as an outside hitter, right side hitter, and setter, helping to lead the team to the 1996 NCAA Tournament. She was named Most Valuable Player of the SBC Tournament that year and recorded a tournament record 32 digs during the championship match in 1996.
A graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy in 2013, Tomić is also a member of WeCOACH, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to developing women coaches in all sports through professional growth & leadership development programs.
Tomić graduated from UALR in 1999 with a degree in health education. She added a Master's in Coaching and Athletics Administration from Concordia University Irvine in 2021.
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Tomić will be the 13th head coach in program history.
Cincinnati will hold a formal introductory press conference in the coming weeks.
Tomić comes to UC from Bowling Green, where she served as head coach for 13 seasons. She also spent seven seasons as head coach of Florida International. Her record as an NCAA head coach stands at 394-222 (.640).
Overall, she has guided her teams to five NCAA Tournament appearances and seen her players collect nine All-America honors. Tomić is a six-time conference coach of the year.
"Danijela Tomić is the perfect choice to lead our volleyball program," Cunningham said. "She has demonstrated a remarkable ability to build championship-level teams and cultivate success at every stop in her career. Her dedication to developing student-athletes both on and off the court aligns perfectly with our vision for the program. We are confident she will lead us into an exciting new era of Bearcats volleyball."
In 13 seasons as head coach at BGSU, she led the Falcons to five MAC regular-season titles, three MAC Tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program's first NCAA Tournament win in 2012. She was named MAC Coach of the Year three times at Bowling Green, most recently winning the honor in 2024.
"I'm honored to accept the role as head coach of the University of Cincinnati volleyball program and eager to shape its future as we lead the Bearcats to prominence in the Big 12," Tomić said.
"I am grateful to John Cunningham and the University of Cincinnati administration for giving me the opportunity to build a culture of excellence both on and off the court and to compete for championships. I look forward to start working with the team, engaging with the UC community and beginning the process of achieving great things together.
"I am forever grateful to Bowling Green State University, the Bowling Green community and especially my incredible former student-athletes for their trust, dedication and belief in me and our shared vision. The memories and success we built together over 13 years will always hold a special place in my heart.
"Now, I look forward to bringing that same passion, hard work and commitment to the UC community as we begin this exciting journey together."
Under her leadership, the Falcons secured seven 20-win seasons, reached the MAC Tournament Championship match five consecutive years (2019-2023), and set program records for winning streaks and overall performance.
Tomić's teams earned All-MAC recognition in each of her 13 seasons at Bowling Green, including at least one All-MAC First Team honoree in nine consecutive years, and posted five straight seasons with an All-Region member.
In 2024, Tomić led the Falcons to 25 victories, the highest single-season total during her tenure, and guided the team to an NIVC runner-up finish. Bowling Green also captured the MAC regular-season title with a 16-2 conference record, tied for the second-most MAC wins in program history during an 18-match schedule.
Under her guidance, Bowling Green produced two AVCA All-Americans—Lauryn Hovey, an Honorable Mention in 2024, and Petra Indrova, who earned Honorable Mention honors in both 2021 and 2022.
She led BGSU to back-to-back MAC regular-season titles in 2017 and 2018 as well as 2020-21 and 2022. During the 2020-21 season, the program saw an 18-0 start in MAC play, marking the best conference start in both MAC and BGSU Athletics history.
In 2012, she guided the Falcons to a MAC Tournament title and an NCAA appearance in her first season at BGSU. The Falcons topped Yale in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for BGSU's first NCAA Tournament win.
Prior to her arrival at Bowling Green, Tomić was a three-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year at Florida International. In seven years as head coach at FIU, she compiled a record of 158-61 (.721).
A 1999 graduate of Arkansas-Little Rock, Tomić was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2006, 2008, and 2009, guiding the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in each of those last two seasons. The 2009 team set a program record by going 32-4, which included a 17-0 mark in conference play.
Tomić took over at FIU in 2005 and made an immediate impact as her team improved by 12 wins over the previous season and reached the SBC Tournament as the No. 6 seed after missing out in two of the previous three years before her arrival.
In seven years at FIU, her players earned six AVCA All-American awards, two Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year honors, and 24 All-Sun Belt Conference awards. Under her tutelage, Yarimar Rosa, was named AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year.
Prior to her time at FIU, Tomić was an assistant coach at LSU during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Before that, she spent six years as an assistant coach at her alma mater UALR from 1997-03.
She played at UALR from 1995-97 as an outside hitter, right side hitter, and setter, helping to lead the team to the 1996 NCAA Tournament. She was named Most Valuable Player of the SBC Tournament that year and recorded a tournament record 32 digs during the championship match in 1996.
A graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy in 2013, Tomić is also a member of WeCOACH, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to developing women coaches in all sports through professional growth & leadership development programs.
Tomić graduated from UALR in 1999 with a degree in health education. She added a Master's in Coaching and Athletics Administration from Concordia University Irvine in 2021.
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