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  Prentice Lewis

Prentice Lewis

Player Profile

Position:
Head Coach | 8th Season

Alma Mater:
Long Beach State | 1995

Coach Lewis can be reached via email at p.lewis@tcu.edu or in her office at (817) 257-7360.

The TCU volleyball program just keeps on getting better under the tutelage of head coach Prentice Lewis, who enters her eighth season at the helm. The continued success under Lewis garnered her a contract extension through 2012 following the 2007 campaign.

"We are very pleased with the extension," TCU athletics director Danny Morrison said. "Prentice has done a great job in developing the program and there is a lot of momentum around TCU volleyball. We made excellent strides in 2007 and are excited about the direction of the program under Prentice's leadership."

After Lewis pushed the Frogs to its first-ever 20-win season in 2003, the team went a few steps further in 2004 to record the most total victories (23) and most conference wins (10) yet. Although very proud of her Frogs and their accomplishments, Lewis - the winningest coach in TCU history and a notorious perfectionist - constantly looks to the next goal.

On the heels of a successful 2007 campaing, Lewis guided her 2008 squad to the fourth 20-win season under her guidance. The Frogs finished another record-breaking year with a 20-12 mark and a fourth-place finish in the ultra-tough Moutain West Conference with a 9-7 record.

For the first time since joining the league, the Frogs had two representatives on the all-conference team in Christy Hudson and Nirelle Hampton. The squad stormed out to a 12-2 record with victories over UT-Arlington, Texas Tech, New Orleans, New Mexico and North Carolina.

The successful campaign saw the team record two victories over nationally-ranked opponents (No. 21 BYU and No. 13 Colorado State).

Her 2007 squad showed her determination as they persevered through injuries and a tough schedule to finish with a 22-12 record, narrowly missing postseason play for the first time in school history. The 22 wins were the second-most behind the 2004 squad that won 23.

It was another record-breaking start to the season that set the Frogs on the course for its fourth winning season in the last five years and its third 20-win campaign. TCU opened up with a 15-2 record that included three straight tournament crowns.

As each season passes, Lewis finds herself on the cusp of another milestone and 2007 was no different. On September 15, Lewis guided the Frogs to a 3-0 victory over Alcorn State, giving her win No. 100 in her coaching career.

Continuing a trend that can be seen throughout Lewis' tenure at TCU, the Frogs exceeded expectations as they cruised to a 9-7 record and a tie for fourth place in the Mountain West. Along the way, the Frogs picked up three road victories, including an historic 3-2 come-from-behind win at Utah on October 6.

To close out the regular season, the Frogs picked up the biggest win in school history as they defeated No. 15 Colorado State, 3-2. LeMeita Smith garnered All-MWC honors, the first Frog to do so in the Mountain West.

Her 2006 squad stormed out to a then-school-record 10-1 start to open the season and went on to post a 17-15 record. The winning record marked the third winning season in school history, all of which have come under the direction of Coach Lewis.

On top of the 17 victories, the Frogs improved their conference win total to five and picked up their first Mountain West Conference road victory on October 7 at Air Force. TCU finished the season in a three-way tie for sixth place and earned the sixth seed in the post-season tournament.

In addition, the Frogs played the toughest schedule in school history as they faced five top-20 opponents on the year.

On Sept. 4, 2005, at the George Mason Tournament in Fairfax, Va., Lewis guided the Frogs to a 3-1 victory over Seton Hall for her 58th career win, which surpassed former head coach Sandy Troudt for the top spot on the TCU career wins list.

Lewis went on to guide TCU to 16 wins and its third-best finish in program history during the 2005 season, its first in the Mountain West Conference. The Frogs and Lewis recorded the school's first MWC win on October 7 with a 3-1 victory over Air Force.

The Frogs counted off their 100th program win in 2004 against Southern Miss, and Lewis tallied her 50th win in three seasons on November 3 at Oklahoma.

TCU's record year, saw the Frogs set a school mark with 23 wins and a 10-3 conference record that helped the Frogs to a tie for second place in the league. Four players gained recognition on all-Conference USA teams, including the program's first-ever first-team mention in Dominika Szabo. Talaya Whitfield earned a spot on both the second team and all-freshman team, while Anna Vaughn and Erin Ludeke placed on the third team. Vaughn also appeared on the CoSIDA Academic All-Regional VI team.

After a fairly successful first season, which featured a squad that finished 12-18, competed in its first conference tournament since 1998 and posted its first members on an all-Conference USA team (Szabo) and on a Verizon Academic squad (Stephanie Watson), Lewis' second year was even better.

The 2003 team ticked off its goals one by one as it reached for new heights. First, the group earned the school's best record ever with a 20-16 mark. The squad then forayed into the second round of the C-USA Tournament, a first for any TCU volleyball team, and it had a pair of players earn all-conference honors (Szabo and Vaughn).

The 2003-04 off-season posed a series of personal challenges for Lewis. In early March, Lewis became disoriented while on a recruiting trip and was rushed to the hospital when she returned to Fort Worth. Four days later, she had surgery for what appeared to be a brain tumor. What the doctors found, though, was not a tumor, but rather an inflamed abscess pressing against her brain.

Never one to be sidelined for long, Lewis was back in the office two weeks after her surgery. Armed with a helmet to protect her head, she was coaching again just a short month after brain surgery. Doctors later implanted a plate to permanently protect her brain. The challenges have only strengthened Lewis' fierce drive to get TCU volleyball to the top of the pack. Lewis was named head volleyball coach at TCU on Feb. 5, 2002. She had served as an assistant coach at Florida prior to being named head coach of the Horned Frogs.

Lewis has accumulated much success as a player and a coach during her career. She spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons on the Gators' staff, serving as the team offensive coordinator, assisting in all areas of recruiting, serving as the staff liaison to the Office of Student Life and coordinating summer camps. Florida posted a 28-2 record in 2001 while advancing to its 11th consecutive Sweet 16. Florida placed a record five athletes on the all-SEC first team squad and on the AVCA All-South Region team.

Lewis, who played under the name Prentice Perkins as a collegian, helped Long Beach State to four Big West Conference Championships. She is perhaps best known for her contribution as one of the nation's marquee defensive players on the 49ers' 1993 National Championship squad. That season she led the Big West Conference in service aces. She went on to become the only defensive specialist selected to the U.S. Junior Olympic Festival that year.

Lewis received her bachelor's degree in arts and history in December of 1995 and received the Big West Scholar Athlete of the Year award in 1994. During her final semester at LBSU, she coached the Newport Harbor High School junior varsity team to the Santa Barbara High School J.V. Championship. She returned to her alma mater and earned her California Teaching Certification in 1996.

Upon graduation, Lewis was an assistant at UC Irvine for three years. She was responsible for recruiting, scouting, travel arrangements, scheduling, summer clinics coordination and fundraising. Additionally, she taught physical education at UC Irvine for three years.

She accepted a position as the defensive coordinator and assistant coach for the Oregon Ducks in 1999 and spent one season in Eugene before being named an assistant coach at Florida in January 2000. In addition to her coaching experiences, Lewis has been an instructor at several volleyball camps and clinics over the years.

While Lewis spent time in the area prior to arriving as head coach of the Frogs, she has now settled in the Metroplex. "Jeff and I have really made Fort Worth home," said Lewis. "It's a great place to live and a great place to recruit with so many excellent athletes in the area."

Prentice married Jeff Lewis on July 29, 2000.

 
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