Dennis Hohenshelt is in his fourth season as a full-time assistant coach in his current stint in Happy Valley. He rejoined the Penn State women's volleyball staff as a volunteer assistant prior to the 2017 season and then was promoted to assistant coach prior to the 2018 season. Hohenshelt spent 16 seasons at Penn State with the men’s and women’s volleyball teams prior to a five-year stint as the women’s volleyball coach at Virginia.
Hohenshelt spent the 2017 season as the volunteer assistant coach for the Nittany Lions, and was a key component to Penn State’s NCAA Tournament semifinal run. The team then went 63-20 and advanced to three straight NCAA Regionals in the three seasons since he was promoted to his current assistant coach position.
Prior to his return to Happy Valley, Hohenshelt spent five seasons as the head coach at the University of Virginia, being named head coach in January 2012. Hohenshelt led the Cavaliers to three .500-plus seasons, in both ACC play and on the season.
In his second season at UVa, the Cavaliers doubled their win total from the previous season and finished with an 18-14 record and an 11-9 record in ACC play. The Cavaliers’ 18 overall and 11 conference wins were the most since 2007, when the team finished 18-13, 13-9 ACC.
Under his direction, the Cavaliers had eight All-ACC selections, the 2013 ACC Freshman of the Year, 2015 East Coast Region Freshman of the Year and four All-ACC Freshman team honorees. Virginia also had its first AVCA All-American since 2007 when Lauren Fuller was named to the honorable mention team in 2015. Additionally, four Hoos claimed AVCA All-Region accolades during Hohenshelt’s tenure.
Before taking the reins at UVa, Hohenshelt was an assistant coach with the Penn State women’s team for six seasons after spending 10 campaigns with the Nittany Lion men’s team.
With the women’s program at Penn State, which won four consecutive NCAA titles from 2007-10, Hohenshelt was involved in match preparation, player development and recruiting. He helped guide Arielle Wilson to set the NCAA Division I record for career hitting percentage at .468 and earn 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and University Park NCAA Regional Championship Most Outstanding Player honors.
Hohenshelt helped the Penn State men’s team to the 2006 National Championship match for the first time in 11 years and assisted in recruiting the core of the 2008 team that won the NCAA crown.
During Hohenshelt’s tenure, the women’s program compiled a 199-18 (.917) record, while the men’s team went 237-82 (.743) with Hohenshelt on staff.
A native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Hohenshelt received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education and social studies from Juniata College in 1993, where he led the Eagles to consecutive Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) titles in 1992 and 1993 and earned Most Valuable Player honors his senior year.
Hohenshelt began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Huntingdon (Pa.) High School from 1993-95 and was an assistant at Juniata from 1994-95. After being promoted to head coach in 1996, he led the Eagles to an 18-8 record and a second-place finish in the EIVA Division III Tournament.
He currently resides in State College with his wife, Tara, and three children, Jacob, Reese and Axl. Tara, formerly Rowlyk, was a four-year defender for the women’s lacrosse team at Penn State. She helped lead the Lions to the 1995 NCAA National Semifinals and the quarterfinals in both 1996 and 1997.