Kaylee Thomas was named the assistant coach of the RMU women’s volleyball team on March 26, 2025.
In her first year as assistant coach, Thomas helped guide the Colonials to their most conference wins in a season since the 2019 season and the most since the Colonials joined the Horizon League. She also helped coach and mentor the first-ever Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year in program history. Thomas also helped coach one All-League First Team and one All-League Second Team honoree. During her tenure, three Colonials were named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, and two were named to the 2025 Valeo #HLVB All-Academic Team.
In her first year as assistant coach, Thomas helped guide the Colonials to their most conference wins in a season since the 2019 season and the most since the Colonials joined the Horizon League. She also helped coach and mentor the first-ever Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year in program history. Thomas also helped coach one All-League First Team and one All-League Second Team honoree. During her tenure, three Colonials were named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, and two were named to the 2025 Valeo #HLVB All-Academic Team.
Before coming to Robert Morris, Thomas worked with the University of Dayton volleyball program for several years, serving as Assistant Coach and Director of Operations for one of the nation’s top Division I teams. As Offensive Coordinator, she was responsible for in-game offensive strategy, opponent scouting, and presenting detailed scouting reports to the team. She assisted in training all areas of the game and played a key role in practice planning, film analysis, and recruiting. During her tenure, Dayton captured an undefeated Atlantic 10 Championship season, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and earned a top-20 national ranking, while producing multiple conference and regional award winner such as Lexia Almodovar (A-10 Player of the Year and Midwest Region Player of the Year), Amelia Moore (A-10 First Team and D1 Regional First Team) and Alyssa Miller (A-10 Second Team).
In her operations roles at Dayton, Thomas managed budgeting, team travel, scheduling, NCAA compliance, summer camps, equipment, and program communications. She also created recruiting and social media content while ensuring compliance with NCAA regulations.
Thomas has also served as the head coach and recruiting coordinator for The Villages Youth Sports Club’s Buffalo Stampeders Volleyball program, where she has led the 16U Armour team. In this role, she focused on defensive development, conducted clinics and private lessons for athletes of all positions, and spearheaded recruiting education and outreach. She had also established recruiting relationships between the club and local colleges, helping guide athletes through the collegiate recruiting process.
A former libero/defensive specialist, Thomas completed her fifth collegiate season at the University of Maryland in the Big Ten, where she competed in all 112 sets of the season. She began her playing career at the University of Alabama, where she was a four-year starter, surpassed 1,000 career digs, and ranks among the program’s all-time leaders.
