Brian Toron is set to begin his fifth season overall and his third as an assistant coach on the Penn State women's volleyball staff. He spent the first two seasons as the director of operations before being elevated to the assistant coach role following Katie Schumacher-Cawley's appointment as head coach in January of 2022.
Penn State advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of Toron's first two seasons as an assistant coach in Happy Valley, helping the program extend its streak to 43 consecutive appearances. The Nittany Lions advanced to the Regional Semifinal in each of those seasons, posting a win over a nationally-ranked team in the Second Round both times. They defeated No. 21 UCF at Rec Hall in 2022 and went on the road to take down No. 15 Kansas in five sets in 2023.
In Toron's two seasons as an assistant coach, Penn State has had players earn two All-America honors, five all-region accolades and six All-Big Ten awards, including five first-team selections. With a primary role of working with the team's setters, he helped guide Mac Podraza to a first-team All-Big Ten honor in 2023 and Seleisa Elisaia to a spot on the second team in 2022. The Nittany Lions were ranked all 32 weeks of the AVCA Coaches Poll, reaching a season-high rank of No. 9 in 2022 and No. 8 in 2023. They posted an overall record of 49-17 for a .742 winning percentage.
Toron has played a key role in Penn State's successful recruiting during the Schumacher-Cawley era. The Nittany Lions had the No. 2 ranked class in the country this year after bringing in the eighth-ranked class the previous year.
Toron arrived in State College after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Hofstra. The Pride went 42-20 overall and 23-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association during the two seasons with Toron on the coaching staff. In his first season as an assistant coach, the Pride went 25-8 overall and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament after winning the CAA regular season and Tournament titles. It was the team's first CAA title since 2014.
Toron assisted in all aspects of the Hofstra program and was in charge of the team's recruiting efforts.
Prior to his time at Hofstra, Toron worked as a technical coordinator with the Northwestern volleyball team. While a member of the Wildcats staff he assisted with practice planning, inputting DataVolley information and producing scouting reports. During his tenure, the Wildcats improved 70 spots in the RPI from the previous season.
Toron began his coaching career as a member of Delaware’s volleyball staff, where he served in a variety of roles from 2014 until 2016. He started as a volunteer assistant coach before moving up the coaching ladder to become the director of volleyball operations for a year before being named the interim head coach during the 2016 campaign.
The responsibilities for Toron at Delaware included scouting reports, academic support and DataVolley. In addition, he worked with the athletic development area to assist in donor cultivation and helped produce practice plans. After being named the interim head coach, Toron led Delaware to a 10-3 record and a spot in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship match.
Toron has extensive experience with USA Volleyball as he works with the A2 HP program and he also has worked a variety of camps including: Northwestern, Delaware, Villanova University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Toron earned his degree in political science from Delaware in 2015.
Penn State advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of Toron's first two seasons as an assistant coach in Happy Valley, helping the program extend its streak to 43 consecutive appearances. The Nittany Lions advanced to the Regional Semifinal in each of those seasons, posting a win over a nationally-ranked team in the Second Round both times. They defeated No. 21 UCF at Rec Hall in 2022 and went on the road to take down No. 15 Kansas in five sets in 2023.
In Toron's two seasons as an assistant coach, Penn State has had players earn two All-America honors, five all-region accolades and six All-Big Ten awards, including five first-team selections. With a primary role of working with the team's setters, he helped guide Mac Podraza to a first-team All-Big Ten honor in 2023 and Seleisa Elisaia to a spot on the second team in 2022. The Nittany Lions were ranked all 32 weeks of the AVCA Coaches Poll, reaching a season-high rank of No. 9 in 2022 and No. 8 in 2023. They posted an overall record of 49-17 for a .742 winning percentage.
Toron has played a key role in Penn State's successful recruiting during the Schumacher-Cawley era. The Nittany Lions had the No. 2 ranked class in the country this year after bringing in the eighth-ranked class the previous year.
Toron arrived in State College after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Hofstra. The Pride went 42-20 overall and 23-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association during the two seasons with Toron on the coaching staff. In his first season as an assistant coach, the Pride went 25-8 overall and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament after winning the CAA regular season and Tournament titles. It was the team's first CAA title since 2014.
Toron assisted in all aspects of the Hofstra program and was in charge of the team's recruiting efforts.
Prior to his time at Hofstra, Toron worked as a technical coordinator with the Northwestern volleyball team. While a member of the Wildcats staff he assisted with practice planning, inputting DataVolley information and producing scouting reports. During his tenure, the Wildcats improved 70 spots in the RPI from the previous season.
Toron began his coaching career as a member of Delaware’s volleyball staff, where he served in a variety of roles from 2014 until 2016. He started as a volunteer assistant coach before moving up the coaching ladder to become the director of volleyball operations for a year before being named the interim head coach during the 2016 campaign.
The responsibilities for Toron at Delaware included scouting reports, academic support and DataVolley. In addition, he worked with the athletic development area to assist in donor cultivation and helped produce practice plans. After being named the interim head coach, Toron led Delaware to a 10-3 record and a spot in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship match.
Toron has extensive experience with USA Volleyball as he works with the A2 HP program and he also has worked a variety of camps including: Northwestern, Delaware, Villanova University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Toron earned his degree in political science from Delaware in 2015.