Roche named head coach of Thiel College men’s volleyball team

Posted August 5, 2014Communications and Marketing Department

GREENVILLE, Pa.—Adam Roche has been named the head coach of the Thiel College men's volleyball team, as announced by Director of Athletics Jack Leipheimer '74.

A native of Cochranton, Pa., Roche played Division I volleyball at Saint Francis University, competing against teams such as Penn State, George Mason, Harvard and Princeton in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA).

“Adam played volleyball at the highly competitive Division I level, and he was very successful,” Leipheimer said. “We believe his Division I experience will have a profound impact on our men’s volleyball program, which is still growing.”

A 6-foot-6-inch middle blocker, Roche served as the captain for the Saint Francis Red Flash his senior season in 2012-13.

Roche was a blocking machine throughout his career with the Red Flash. As a senior in 2013, he finished third in Division I with 127 blocks, which also placed him fifth on the program’s single-season list.

As a junior, Roche finished third in Division I with 146 blocks, which also played him third on the program’s single-season list. Roche was an All-EIVA second team selection as a junior, a season in which he collected two EIVA Defensive Player of the Week honors.

“I am excited to be named the head coach of Thiel’s men’s volleyball program,” Roche said. “This is a great opportunity for me to help the men’s program grow. I am looking forward to seeing how well the program develops and helping the players grow their knowledge of the game.”

Roche earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Saint Francis. Since graduation, he played in the professional Premier Volleyball League (PVL) with the Keystone Penn Blast team. He also served as the head coach for an 18’s Tool City Club volleyball team.

Roche worked multiple volleyball camps while he was a student-athlete at Saint Francis. He also volunteered with the Cochranton boys volleyball program.

Roche will take over Thiel’s men’s volleyball team, which went 13-18 overall and 5-5 in the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) in 2014. The Tomcats earned a spot in the 2014 CVC Championship Tournament, which was hosted at Thiel College, but fell in the quarterfinals to the second-seeded Lakeland College Muskies.

“The team this year has a large senior class with a lot of game experience. There should be a lot of highly competitive matches played this year, and hopefully we will battle for the top spot in the CVC this year.”


About Thiel College

Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.



Thiel College
75 College Ave
Greenville, PA 16125
1-800-248-4435