Worth Noting:
- Program’s all-time coaching wins leader, entering 2020 with 156
- Program’s single-season NEC wins leader with 15 in 2019
Honors & Awards:
- 2019 NEC Coach of the Year
Championships:
- 2019 NEC Regular Season
- 2015 NEC Tournament
Dale Starr completed his 11th season as the head coach of the Robert Morris University volleyball team in the spring of 2021.
Starr is the program’s all-time coaching wins leader, capturing the record-breaking 131st victory on Nov. 9, 2018 in a three-set match against Fairleigh Dickinson. He surpassed the previous mark of 130, established by his predecessor Rob Thomas.
Under Starr’s guidance, Robert Morris has posted a 107-57 (.652) mark in Northeast Conference (NEC) and Horizon League contests, making eight league postseason appearances. He has had 10 different Colonials have collected a total of 19 all-conference nods on his watch, highlighted by Emma Granger’s unanimous NEC Player of the Year selection in 2019. Academically, RMU has won seven NEC Team GPA Awards (2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20) and subsequent Team Academic Award plaudits from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
Starr’s teams have found success through a dominant team blocking effort, an area which he completely overhauled in his first season with the program. As a result, the Colonials have ranked third or better in its conference in team blocking seven times since Starr has taken over, and ranked 13th nationally in that department in the 2019 season.
In the abbreviated 2021 spring season – its first in the Horizon League – Robert Morris won four of its last five matches, highlighted by a three-set sweep of reigning league tournament champion Northern Kentucky in its next-to-last outing.
Picked to finish fifth in the NEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, RMU shattered all outside expectations in 2019 by going 25-5 and capturing the program’s first NEC regular-season title since 2008. The Colonials’ 25 victories were the third most in school single-season history, while their 15 league wins serve as a program record. RMU did this despite not having a single senior on its roster, and losing two of its junior contributors to early season-ending knee injuries.
The 2019 season also featured just the second 10-0 start in athletic department history, and a 3-0 victory over city rival Duquesne – the program’s first triumph in the rivalry since 2007. The Colonials were one of nine remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I volleyball at the time of their first defeat, and ranked inside the top 25 nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.154, 10th), blocks per set (2.79, 13th), win-loss percentage (.833, 17th), and aces per set (1.66, 24th).
Starr was bestowed with his first NEC Coach of the Year honor at the pre-tournament banquet, while junior middle blocker Emma Granger was unanimously named NEC Player of the Year. Granger, who later in the year became the first player in program history to be named to All-Region and All-American teams, was one of three All-NEC selections RMU boasted, alongside fellow First Team member Maria Alfano, and Second Team pick Whitney Brown. Brown also was recognized for her excellence in the classroom, earning CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team and NEC Scholar-Athlete plaudits.
In 2018, the Colonials went through an up-and-down season, finishing 11-18 overall and 5-9 in conference play. The year did include some highlight victories, as RMU knocked off NCAA Tournament participant Eastern Michigan and Houston at home, along with a road triumph at NEC regular-season champion LIU Brooklyn. The Colonials’ three-set win over Fairleigh Dickinson in their penultimate match made Starr the winningest coach in program history, as the win surpassed Rob Thomas’ (2003-09) mark of 130.
The 2017 Robert Morris team qualified for its 18th NEC Tournament in 19 years with an 8-6 record against conference foes, prolonging a streak of 19 straight winning conference records that is unmatched in league history. Emma Granger became the fourth NEC Rookie of the Year in program annals, and was the only underclassman to make the All-NEC First Team.
In 2016, RMU tallied an 8-6 mark in NEC play and finished with a winning conference record for the 18th consecutive season, extending the longest such streak of any NEC member, past or present. The Colonials ranked in the top three in the NEC in six categories including opponent hitting percentage, assists, kills, blocks, service aces and digs. Starr coached senior Arden Fisher, as she became the first volleyball player in RMU history to record 1,000-plus kills (1,246) and 1,500-plus digs (1,852). Fisher also became just the third Colonial in program history to earn all-conference honors in all four years of her career.
Starr led the Colonials to their eighth NEC Tournament title in 2015, the first of his RMU tenure. Robert Morris defeated three-time defending NEC champion LIU Brooklyn on its home court in an epic 3-1 comeback after RMU dropped set one. With the win, Robert Morris received an automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament, where its sixth appearance in program history saw the Colonials fall to No. 12 Ohio State in the First Round. April Krivoniak was named 2015 NEC Tournament MVP, while Brianna Frakes and Kristin Thompson joined her on the All-Tournament Team.
Robert Morris’ 19 overall wins in 2015 were at the time the most achieved in a season under Starr. The Colonials went undefeated in the month of November and entered the NCAA Tournament riding a seven-game winning streak. RMU finished second overall in the conference and led the league in digs per set and total blocks. Thompson paced the NEC in hitting percentage, Frakes led in assists and Leah Dunivan ranked first in blocks per game.
In 2014, Starr saw his team compile its best conference record (12-2) since he took over the program. He led the Colonials to their first NEC Tournament title match since 2010 and had three student-athletes earn All-NEC accolades – a season best under his direction. RMU paced the league in blocks, averaging 2.41 per set and 2.92 in conference matches. The Colonials also finished second in digs, opponent hitting percentage, and hitting percentage. In a four-set match at Sacred Heart, RMU broke the single-game program record for total blocks and block assists with 21.5 and 39, respectively.
In 2013, Starr guided a senior-less RMU team to their 15th consecutive NEC Tournament berth, finishing the conference slate with an 8-6 record. The Colonials led the conference in digs and Starr had a student-athlete make an All-NEC team for the fourth straight season. On Oct. 19, Starr earned his 200th career win with a straight-set victory over archrival Saint Francis U.
With a senior-heavy roster in 2012, Starr led the Colonials to their 14th consecutive NEC Tournament behind the strength of 13 regular-season wins against NEC foes. Despite a slow start in early-season tournaments, Starr led RMU to a thrilling five-set victory over West Virginia, the first victory over a Big 12 team in program history. Two members of Starr’s 2012 squad would earn All-NEC honors for the second consecutive season, while one student-athlete would lead the NEC in blocks per match. Academically, the team won the conference’s Team GPA award for the second-straight academic year, as the mark of 3.65 doubled as the highest mark among all of RMU’s athletic programs.
Perhaps the signature win of the 2011 season, and one of the team’s more notable non-conference triumphs under Starr, was the 3-0 sweep of cross-town rival Pitt at the fabled Sewall Center Oct. 12. The straight-set decision was the first win over the Panthers in program history. Behind a 10-6 record in the NEC, the Colonials would earn a postseason berth for the 13th consecutive time, while two of Starr’s student-athletes would earn All-NEC accolades.
During his first season with Robert Morris in 2010, two of Starr's student-athletes claimed All-NEC First Team accolades and a total of four claimed weekly honors from the NEC. Many highlights of that maiden voyage, however, happened in the classroom, as the Colonials would earn their first of back-to-back AVCA Team Awards. Starr, meanwhile, guided his squad to a victory over six-time defending NEC champion LIU Brooklyn in the conference tournament semifinal. After eliminating the Blackbirds in a thrilling five-set match, RMU then competed in its 13th league championship match all-time, extending its own conference record.
Starr’s first coaching position at the collegiate level was as an assistant at the University of Tennessee at Martin from 1998 to 1999 before becoming the head coach at the Mississippi University for Women. He would become a Division I assistant coach again in 2002 when he joined the staff at Boise State University for a season. In 2003, he would return to the University of Tennessee at Martin for a second stint as an assistant coach. His time there would be short-lived, as Starr landed his first Division I head coaching position at McNeese State University in 2004.
While at McNeese State, Starr recorded an overall record of 96-81 and a league record of 57-43 in the Southland Conference. During his tenure, he coached five teams to conference tournaments, with three of them making semifinal appearances. His teams also performed strongly on the academic spectrum with 19 players earning All-Southland Conference Academic honors. Additionally, his team was honored with a player on the Academic All-American Second Team in 2006, a first for the program.
He earned his first head coach position at the Mississippi University for Women, where he produced three First Team Academic All-Americans. He led his team to a third-place finish in the GSC West Division and a berth in the GSC Tournament for the first time since 1996. He finished with an overall record of 50-47 in three seasons.
Before his collegiate debut, Starr worked as a head coach at Eagle Valley High School, Highland High School, and Colorado Xtreme Volleyball Club, and also worked as a volunteer assistant for his alma mater, the University of Northern Colorado.
Starr is married to Michelle Starr. The couple have two daughters, Kalee and Madi.
THE STARR FILE
Birthdate: November 27
Alma Mater / Year: University of Northern Colorado / 1995
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Robert Morris University
(Moon Township, Pa.)
- Head Coach (2010-present)
McNeese State University
(Lake Charles, La.)
- Head Coach (2004-10)
University of Tennessee at Martin
(Martin, Tenn.)
- Assistant Coach (2003-04, 1998-99)
Boise State University
(Boise, Idaho)
- Assistant Coach (2002-03)
Mississippi University for Women
(Columbus, Miss.)
- Head Coach (1999-02)
University of Northern Colorado
(Greeley, Colo.)
- Volunteer Assistant Coach
Eagle Valley High School
(Gypsum, Colo.)
- Head Coach
Highland High School
(St. Ault, Colo.)
- Head Coach
Colorado Xtreme Volleyball Club
(Frederick, Colo.)
- Head Coach
