A former Nittany Lion student-athlete with plenty of postseason experience, assistant coach Ryan Walthall begins his seventh season on the Penn State men's volleyball coaching staff in 2021-22. His expertise has helped the Nittany Lions become one of the best serve-receive teams in the nation for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Walthall returned to his alma mater in 2015 after coaching stops with the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club and as an assistant coach for University of California Santa Barbara. He served as the Gauchos' offensive coordinator, helped with recruiting and handled video analysis for both scouting and player development. Additionally, he was in charge of organizing team travel.
Walthall arrived in Santa Barbara from Ohio University where he served as an assistant coach for the women's volleyball team. With the Bobcats, he was the team's defensive coordinator and also provided scouting analysis on Ohio opponents. Walthall found early success in Ohio, as his defense led the conference in both opponent hitting percentage (.172) and blocks per set (2.75), while also tallying the fifth-most digs (16.24/set).
Walthall spent three seasons as an assistant at the University of North Florida prior to his tenure at Ohio. As the top assistant for the Ospreys, Walthall helped UNF to the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Championships in back-to-back seasons. In 2011, he coached a defense that boasted the league leaders in blocking, digs and opponent attack percentage.
Walthall started his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach for two seasons with perennial power Nebraska. While a member of the Cornhuskers' staff, he assisted with video scouting, film breakdown and team training during practices while also helping with day-to-day administrative office duties.
Walthall was a four-year letterwinner at Penn State under head coach Mark Pavlik. With the Nittany Lions, he was a part of four national semifinal squads, including the 2006 season when the team competed in the National Championship match.
During his senior campaign in 2007, he ranked 15th nationally and led Penn State with a 2.33 digs-per-set average. While he served as a defensive and serving specialist during his first two seasons at Penn State, Walthall made the move to libero as a junior and helped the Nittany Lions to a 21-8 record and a national runner-up finish.
Walthall earned his bachelor's degree in recreation, park, and tourism management at Penn State in May 2009.
Originally from Bremerton, Washington, Walthall attended Woodbridge High School where he was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection and team MVP as a senior. At the club level, he competed for the LBC, helping the team to the 2003 Junior Olympic National Championship.
