UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Men's Volleyball head coach Mark Pavlik announced on Thursday the addition of Ryan "Rock" Perrotte as an assistant coach. Perrotte joins the Nittany Lions after spending the past 22 seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne, including the past nine as the team's head coach.
"I am excited to welcome Rock to the Penn State Volleyball family," Pavlik said. "To be able to draw on his coaching and playing experience will add even more to the staff we have now. We look forward to his contributions to the program!"
"I would like to thank Coach Pavlik, Coach (Colin) McMillan, and Coach (Pat) Shawaryn for this opportunity to join them and contribute to the amazing program and history of Penn State Men's Volleyball. I immensely look forward to this new chapter in my coaching career," Perrotte said.
Perrotte has a storied history with Purdue Fort Wayne, including his time as a player from 1996-99, assistant coach from 2002-15 and head coach from 2016-24. As an assistant, he helped guide the Mastodons to two NCAA Tournament appearances. He succeeded longtime head coach Arnie Ball in 2016 and went on to lead the team to 113 wins in his first collegiate head coaching position.
"I spent 28 unforgettable years at Purdue Fort Wayne, including 17 of them under the direct tutelage of legendary coach Arnie Ball," Perrotte said. "My appreciation, gratitude and love for him and his support all these years is unwavering and unconditional. Additionally, I want to thank all my former colleagues who assisted in my development as a coach during that time."
In addition to his collegiate coaching resume, Perrotte picked up international coaching experience as the head coach of Team USA in the 2019 World University Games held in Napoli, Italy. He has also been the coach of USA Volleyball High Performance A3, A2, and A1 summer camps since 2012.
Perrotte coached players to nine AVCA All-America honorable mention awards while at the helm of the Purdue Fort Wayne program. Additionally, the Mastodons racked up 23 All-MIVA honors, including 13 first-team accolades, during that time. The team posted numerous wins over nationally-ranked opponents, including a victory over then-No. 3 UC Irvine in 2018. The Mastodons made a run to the MIVA Championship match in 2022 thanks to an upset over second-seeded Loyola Chicago in the semifinal round.
A four-year starter at middle blocker for the Mastodons during his playing days, Perrotte earned second-team All-MIVA recognition as a senior in 1999 while helping the team go 23-9 and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Perrotte, a native of Windsor, Ontario, earned a bachelor's degree in business accounting from IU Fort Wayne and went on to add a master's degree in professional communications from Purdue Fort Wayne. He has spent time as a sports broadcaster, in both play-by-play and color commentary, since 1999.
