John Dunn joined San Diego volleyball in May of 2024. He will enter his third season with the Toreros in 2026, serving as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
With Dunn as an assistant coach, USD has won a WCC Championship (2025), secured an NCAA Tournament berth (2025), and developed:
- Two WCC Setters of the Year
- One WCC Freshman of the Year
- Seven All-WCC First Team selections
- Two All-WCC Second Team selections
- Four All-WCC Honorable Mention selections
- Four All-WCC Freshman Team selections
- Two WCC All-Academic First Team selections
- Three WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention selections
In 2025, Dunn helped lead USD back to the postseason for the first time since 2022 as San Diego posted a 25-5 overall record and an 18-0 mark in WCC play. After going 7-4 through a formidable non-conference schedule that included four wins over Top-50 teams and clashes with five programs that went on to qualify for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the Toreros closed the regular season on an 18-match win streak and went undefeated in West Coast Conference play to win the 2025 WCC Championship and become the first team in the country to qualify for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. USD clinched the conference title with a memorable 3-0 sweep of rival Pepperdine before a season-high crowd of 1,103 in the Jenny Craig Pavilion on November 20, then completed just the third perfect WCC season in program history when it beat Gonzaga on Senior Day at the JCP nine days later.
USD’s dominant campaign earned it the WCC's automatic qualifier to the postseason and the No. 8 seed in the Nebraska quadrant of the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket, where it matched up with Kansas State at the renowned Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln. The Toreros took the first set and rallied for a thrilling 28-26 victory in set three, but eventually suffered a narrow 3-2 loss to conclude a thrilling year that vaulted San Diego back to national prominence as it totaled the fourth-most victories in a single season in program history.
After the 2025 season concluded, Nemo Beach was named the 2025 WCC Player of the Year, Kylie Munday was named the 2025 WCC Setter of the Year, and Olivia Bennett was named the 2025 WCC Libero of the Year. Four San Diego players earned 2025 All-WCC honors, including four to the First Team, one to the Second Team, two as Honorable Mentions, and one to the Freshman Team.
Dunn's tutelage also helped a Torero dynamic duo receive national recognition. Beach was named a 2025 AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, while Munday was selected as a 2025 AVCA All-Pacific Region Honorable Mention. Additionally, Bennett was named to the 2025 WCC Volleyball All-Academic Team, while Munday and Tatum Lane received 2025 WCC Volleyball All-Academic Honorable Mentions.
With Dunn’s assistance, the Toreros posted a strong 19-9 overall record and a 14-4 finish in WCC play in 2024, tying for second place in the conference. The team’s season was highlighted by an undefeated run at the LSU Invitational and statement victories over No. 17 BYU and WCC rival Pepperdine. Isabel Clark was named WCC Freshman of the Year, while Kylie Munday earned WCC Setter of the Year honors. Clark, Kristen Erland, and Haylee Stoner were selected to the All-WCC First Team, Nemo Beach was named to the All-WCC Second Team, and Madi Allen and Kennedy Osunsanmi received All-WCC Honorable Mentions. Stoner was also recognized on the All-WCC Academic Team, with Olivia Bennett earning a WCC Academic Honorable Mention.
Dunn joined USD from Kansas State, where he had served as the Wildcats’ assistant coach since May of 2023.
“I am excited to announce the addition of John Dunn to our volleyball staff,” said Petrie. “John has great experience in high-level training gyms, with Kansas State, Washington, and Arizona all on his resume. His experience both in the gym, in the office, scouting and recruiting provide him with the skills to elevate our program. John is charismatic and enthusiastic, and will make an immediate impact on our staff. Please join me in welcoming John to the Torero family.”
He specialized in defensive strategy — particularly floor defense — while in Manhattan, working closely with the program’s liberos and defensive specialists. His guidance helped Kansas State secure a record-breaking five Top 25 victories and its most regular season wins since 2016, including a 3-0 sweep over eventual national champion Texas. Four Wildcats earned All-Big 12 honors with him on the staff, and one was recognized as an AVCA All-American.
Dunn’s duties at KSU also included scouting, charting, practice plans, recruiting, overseeing student managers, and liaising with the department’s social media team.
“I want to thank Jennifer Petrie and Associate Head Coach Carlos Moreno for this amazing opportunity to join them at the University of San Diego,” Dunn said. “Their resumes and storied careers, both as players and coaches, speak for themselves. It was evident that their passion to compete at the highest level and dedication to develop quality student athletes aligned closely with my own. After visiting the campus, meeting the players and staff, it was an easy choice to want to continue to build upon the amazing foundation already laid that is USD Volleyball.
I also cannot express enough the immense gratitude and love I have for Jason Mansfield and the whole program at K-State. It was an honor to contribute to what he is building there and I am excited to continue to watch that program thrive. I’ve been incredibly blessed to work for amazing head coaches like Heather Moore-Martin, David Rubio, Keegan Cook, Leslie Gabriel, and Jason Mansfield, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue to learn and develop as a coach and person under Coach Petrie. I can’t wait to get back out West and get to work!”
Prior to Kansas State, Dunn spent time at the University of Washington, earning a Master’s Degree in Education as a graduate assistant before being promoted to volunteer assistant coach. During Dunn’s tenure at UW, the Huskies reached their 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament.
He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Arizona, where he played for and served as the president of the school’s men’s club volleyball team in addition to being a practice player for the Division I women’s volleyball program.
A native of Tucson, Arizona, Dunn played for one season at Belmont Abbey College after attending Salpointe Catholic High School, at which he was a four-year varsity volleyball letterwinner.
