Coaches

Tonya Johnson, a six-year University of Texas assistant and associate head coach, has just finished her first season as the head volleyball coach, the seventh volleyball coach in Georgia Tech history.

This past season, Johnson guided the Yellow Jackets back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004. The team finished with a 21-10 record and was the only ACC team to beat Florida State, winning in their gym on October 2.

In 2008, Johnson helped guide the Longhorns to the NCAA Final Four following back-to-back Regional Final appearances in 2006 and 2007. The Longhorns concluded last season with a 31-3 record after recording more than 20 victories in each of the four seasons prior.

An excellent recruiter on the national level, Johnson helped Texas land the nation's second-ranked recruiting classes in each of her last three seasons (2006-08).

Johnson has also helped a player earn Freshman of the Year honors withing their conference for each of the last four seasons (three at Texas and one at Georgia Tech).

In addition to serving as the recruiting coordinator, Johnson worked with the Longhorns' outside hitters, three of whom received All-America accolades over her last three seasons at Texas.

Prior to her arrival at Texas in 2003, Johnson served as the top volleyball assistant at LSU from 1998-2003 under Flory, where she was responsible for the majority of the Tigers' recruiting efforts. Johnson began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant under Flory at Kentucky in 1995.

Johnson was a four-year letterwinner at LSU from 1987-90, helping the Tigers to Southeastern Conference titles in 1989 and 1990. She led her Tiger team to the NCAA Final Four her senior year after LSU advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1989.

Craig Bere, who has spent 16 years in the collegiate volleyball ranks, just finished his first-year as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech.

Bere spent the previous two seasons on the Louisville staff following a successful stint as an assistant at LSU from 2004-2006. He has been a part of an NCAA Tournament team each of the last five years, including both seasons at Louisville and this past season at Georgia Tech.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Bere attended Morehead State, where he was a three-year letterwinner on the Eagle football team and a four-year member of the men's volleyball club team, which led him to a career in college coaching.

A member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, Bere has served as a camp instructor in summer volleyball camps in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, & Michigan.

Ed Tolentino also just finished his first year at Georgia Tech. Prior to his arrival at Tech, Ed was the head tier trainer and director of development for Premier Volleyball and M-Juniors Volleyball Club in Maumee, Ohio.

Tolentino also spent three seasons as an assistant volleyball coach at Madonna University in Livonia, Mich., where he helped guide the Crusaders to three Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament and regular season titles as well as a trio of NAIA National Championship appearances. Under his tutelage, three Crusaders earned WHAC Player of the Year honors. Madonna University posted a 108-27 overall record and went 37-3 in conference matches during his three-year stint while finishing all three seasons ranked among the top-25 in the nation, including a final ranking of No. 10 in 2008.

Prior to his stint at Madonna, Tolentino served as an interim assistant volleyball coach at the University of Michigan in 2005, where he assisted in player development and recruiting while coordinating scouting reports.