No active coach in NCAA Division II volleyball has won with more regularity than UMD head coach Jim Boos, who is an eye-popping 140-22 (.865) during his five seasons at the UMD helm and has directed the Bulldogs to two NCAA II Elite Eight apperances (2006 , 2004) five NCAA II playoff berths and three -- of a possible three -- North Central Conference championships.

He has guided the Bulldogs to a 33-3 mark in NCC play which translates into a .917 winning percentage -- far and away the best lifetime mark ever amassed by a conference school. UMD went an unprecedented 12-0 in leauge play in 2006.

In 2004, Boos and the Bulldogs made the switch to the North Central Conference and proceeded to win back-to-back conference championship. Boos guided the Bulldogs to their programs first-ever NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance in Miami Shores, Fla. where they advanced to the semi-finals before losing to eventual champion Barry University. For his efforts, Boos was named the 2004 American Volleyball Coaches Association North Central Regional and National Coach of the Year.

His debut season, Boos guided the Bulldogs to a 29-3 overall record and a perfect 18-0 mark in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play while securing their first-ever No. 1 ranking in an American Volleyball Coaches Association poll (October 15, 2002). For his efforts, he was bestowed with the 2002 NSIC Coach of the Year award.

Boos, 35, was named to his current position on July 24, 2002, becoming the school’s fourth head volleyball coach since the 1976 season. Boos replaced Pati Rolf (1988-2001) who resigned in June of 2002 to take over the volleyball program at Marquette University.

For three years Boos was an assistant at then, North Central Region rival North Dakota State University. In 2001, Boos helped lead the Bison to their seventh-straight NCAA Tournament and a No. 5 national ranking. In his three years at NDSU, the Bison compiled an overall record of 80-21, won two NCC titles, and advanced to the 1999 NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Under his assistance, NDSU produced three AVCA All-Americans and one NCC Player of the Year.

Before arriving at NDSU, Boos served as an assistant women’s volleyball coach for the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh from 1992-98. While at UW–Oshkosh, the Titans advanced to four NCAA Division III national tournaments finishing as high as second in 1994. The Titans won Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crowns in 1994 and 1995 and were ranked in the AVCA Division III Top 15 from 1993-97. Boos assisted in the development of three NCAA Division III All-Americans, including the National Player of the Year in 1996. In 1995, Boos served as head coach of the Oconomowoc High School girls’ volleyball team.

A native of Delafield, Wisconsin, Boos earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology from UW–Oshkosh in 1994 and followed up with a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership in 1999. While enrolled in school, and assisting the women’s volleyball team, Boos established the men’s club program at UW–Oshkosh in 1992, and contributed to the development of the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference. Boos, who guided UW–Oshkosh to a national club championship as a player/coach in 1996, was named to the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference Hall of Fame in 2002.

Boos resides in Duluth with his wife Jenn, and their two sons, Mason and Carter.

Christyn May is starting her fourth season as assistant coach for UMD and fifth on the Bulldog volleyball staff after spending the 2001-2003 seasons as a UMD volunteer assistant coach.

May, 32, who came to the Bulldogs after spending four seasons at her alma mater, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where she was a student assistant, graduate assistant, and volunteer assistant coach. Since 2004 she has served as the head coach for the Duluth Area Junior Olympic volleyball team.

A native of Palisade, Nebraska, May graduated from Hayes Center High School in 1994 before beginning a four-year career (1994-97) at Nebraska–Omaha. During that stretch, she was a starting outside hitter on Maverick Clubs which advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight her junior (when they claimed the national title) and senior years and walked off with a pair of NCC championships. May, a member of the Elite Eight All-Tournament Team in both 1996 and 1997, played one year (1998-99) of basketball following the conclusion of her volleyball playing days and was elected the Mavericks’ team captain.

May is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education (with a specialization in exercise science) from Nebraska-Omaha in 1999. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in Education from Minnesota Duluth.

May and her husband, UMD Strength and Conditioning Coach Justin May, make their home in Hermantown.



This fall Steve Novacek joins the UMD volleyball coaching staff for the second time in his career and will serve the role of second assistant this season. Novacek, 25, served as a student assistant coach for the Bulldogs in 2004, the year in which UMD advanced to its first-ever NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

A native of Buffalo, Minn., Novacek earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and Health Education with a minor in coaching from UMD in 2005.

In the fall of 2005, Novacek joined the St. Cloud State University volleyball staff as a graduate assistant coach. Novacek graduated from St. Cloud State with a Master’s degree in sport management in 2007.

He currently resides in Duluth with his wife Mariel.