PROVO, Utah — BYU women’s volleyball head coach Rob Neilson announced the hiring of associate head coach Donan Cruz on Wednesday.
"We are thrilled to welcome Coach Donan, his wife, Anna, and their three boys, Nixon, Nevon and Micah, to BYU," Neilson said. "Donan is an elite coach who led Grand View and Ball State to historic success as a head coach and, most recently, helped guide Hawaii's men's team to a national championship last month. We are excited to leverage Donan's offensive expertise, volleyball IQ, experience and international recruiting connections. He is beloved by his players and the staffs he has worked with and has a unique ability to bring people together. I can't imagine a better person to finalize our staff."
Cruz joins the Cougars fresh off an NCAA men’s volleyball national championship with the University of Hawai’i, where he spent the last year as an assistant coach with the Rainbow Warriors.
Prior to his time with the ‘Bows, Cruz spent four seasons as the head coach at Ball State, leading the Cardinals to the Final Four in 2022 and amassing a 292-91 (.762) record in Muncie, Indiana.
He was named the AVCA Men’s Division I/II National Coach of the Year in 2022 and was tabbed the MIVA Coach of the Year in both 2022 and 2023, coaching Ball State to three-straight MIVA regular season titles (2022-24) and an MIVA tournament championship in 2022.
Cruz also served as the men’s volleyball head coach at Grand View, an NAIA program in Des Moines, Iowa, from 2012-21, while also an assistant coach for the Vikings’ women’s staff from 2009-16.
He remains the winningest coach in NAIA men’s volleyball history, posting a 211-55 (.793) record across 10 seasons. Cruz helped Grand View to two NAIA national championships (2018, 21), three national runner-up finishes and two national semifinal appearances.
Earning four AVCA NAIA Men’s National Coach of the Year awards, he was named the Heart of America Coach of the Year three times and received NAIA Midwest Conference Coach of the Year honors twice.
Cruz got his start in coaching at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, where he was an outside hitter and defensive specialist from 2004-06. While there, he was a student intern with the Yellowjackets’ women’s team before serving as the recruiting coordinator in 2006.
An active member of the USA Volleyball coaching community since 2001, Cruz helped guide the U21 National Team to a gold medal at the NORCECA Championships in 2024 and a bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships.
Cruz is a proud graduate of Baldwin High School on Wailuku, Maui. He was born on the island of Guam and stays connected to his roots in the South Pacific.