Gavin Markovits begins his eighth season as part of Metro State's volleyball staff in 2013.
At Metro State, Markovits is responsible for overseeing match promotions, creating the alumni/booster newsletter and serving as statistics coordinator, as well as doing on-court training. In addition to his duties with the Roadrunners, he started the men's volleyball club in 2008.
The Roadrunners have made the NCAA tournament in each of Markovits' seven seasons in Denver, winning six tournament matches during that time. In addition, Metro State won the RMAC tournament in 2006 and 2009.
He helped a very young squad in 2012 and led MSU Denver to an 18-11 record, including 11-6 in the RMAC. He helped the team to the NCAA tournament behind All-America sophomore Lauren Quijano, who was one of just three returning starters and one of just six returning letterwinners out of 14 players on the 2011 team. The Roadrunners were excellent in the classroom as four players earned academic all-RMAC (only returning players are eligible for the award).
In 2011 the Roadrunners went 24-7, reaching the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the Central Region. Markovits coached a pair of players that earned All-America honors, including RMAC player of the year Bri Morley and RMAC defensive player of the year Ngoc Phan.
Metro State finished third at the Colorado Premier Challenge, its highest finish in the tournament since 2005. In addition to the strong finish at the Premier, the Roadrunners won the Oredigger Classic with a 4-0 record. The team did not lose a set until its seventh match of a the season, a five-set loss to No. 4 Washburn (Kan.) at the Premier.
Off the court, the success continued for the Roadrunners. Seven players were named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (3.5 GPA or better) during the fall semester, and five earned those honors in the spring. For the year, Metro State volleyball compiled a 3.19 GPA.
The 2010 squad went 25-7 in Markovits' fifth season, including 16-2 in the RMAC. The Roadrunners reached the semifinals of the Central Region tournament before being eliminated by national champion Concordia-St. Paul in four sets. Metro State also finished runner-up in the RMAC tournament. Metro State endured a 14-match winning streak from the beginning of October through mid-November and was led by AVCA honorable mention All-America outside hitter Morley and all-region libero Phan. The Roadrunners faced 11 nationally-ranked teams during the season, going 5-6 in those matches. The team was also strong in the classroom with three academic all-conference players. Senior middle blocker Anna Mapes was named RMAC academic player of the year.
In his fourth season at Metro State in 2009, Metro State posted one of its most successful seasons in school history. The Roadrunners advanced to the Central Region championship, where the team fell to Concordia-St. Paul, which went on to win its third straight national championship. On the way, the Roadrunner picked up two wins in the NCAA tournament, the most in school history. Prior to the Concordia match, Metro State rattled off nine straight wins, including rallying for a five-set thriller to top third-ranked Nebraska-Kearney in Kearney for the RMAC tournament championship.
He also helped the Roadrunners to the NCAA tournament in his first three years in 2006, 2007 and 2008. MSU Denver also won the RMAC tournament in 2006.
This is Markovits' second stint with the Roadrunners, as he also spent the 2003 season at Metro State as an assistant coach under Debbie Hendricks. He assisted with statistics, practices and game management.
Prior to returning to Metro State, Markovits spent two years with Maple Grove High School and Minnesota Select Volleyball Club in Minneapolis, Minn. While at Maple Grove, he led the Crimson junior varsity squad to a 34-12 record.
Prior to beginning his collegiate coaching career, Markovits spent four years with the AVCA in media relations. He was responsible for producing newsletters, weekly polls and press releases, and also supervised several awards programs. Before going to the AVCA, he was with USA Volleyball for two years, where he served as public relations coordinator. While with USA Volleyball, Markovits assisted the media, produced an annual media guide and updated the organization's web site.
Markovits has coached many local school and club teams as he was the sophomore coach at Fairview (Boulder) High School in 2002 and helped the Pikes Peak team to a third place finish in the Rocky Mountain region and a berth in the 1998 Junior Olympic Championships. He has worked many camps, including Colorado, Colorado State, Nebraska and Air Force.
A native of Bakersfield, Calif., Markovits earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Cal State Bakersfield in 1995.
