Involved in all aspects of the Penn State men's volleyball program as a player, assistant coach and head coach and one of the winningest and well-respected coaches in the sport, Mark Pavlik enters his 31st year at the helm of the Nittany Lion men's volleyball program in Happy Valley in 2024-25.
Helping to build the Nittany Lions into one of the premier men's volleyball powers in the nation with the 2008 NCAA National Championship and 24 NCAA Tournament appearances, Pavlik has compiled a career record of 679-225, winning over 75 percent of his matches. He leads all active National Collegiate Division (DI-II) head coaches with his win total and ranks four all time among all collegiate men's volleyball coaches. Pavlik was also named 2008 AVCA National Coach of the Year and the 2008 Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year.
Within the EIVA, Pavlik's teams have been even more dominating, racking up 329 wins with only 24 league losses in 30 years. The nine-time EIVA Coach of the Year has led the Nittany Lions to 25 EIVA titles after winning the latest in 2024. In 2020, Pavlik's Nittany Lions completed their third-consecutive unbeaten regular season in conference play in 2024.
As a player, he was a setter under legendary coach Tom Tait. For five years prior to his promotion, Pavlik served as coach Tom Peterson's top assistant. During that time, the Nittany Lions compiled a 111-39 record and made four NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by the 1994 national title.
Pavlik has guided some of the nation's greatest student-athletes during his tenure. In 1997, he coached Ivan Contreras to the AVCA Player of the Year accolades and, in 2008, Matt Anderson earned the same award, the first two times an Eastern player has earned the prestigious honor.
He has coached 34 different players (Ivan Contreras, Jason Kepner, Kevin Hourican, Ed Josefoski, Carlos Ortiz, José Quiñones, Zeljko Koljesar, Zach Slenker, Carlos Guerra, Ricky Mattei, Keith Kowal, Nate Meerstein, Matt Proper, Matt Anderson, Luke Murray, Max Holt, Max Lipsitz, Will Price, Dennis Del Valle, Joe Sunder, Edgardo Goas, Aaron Russell, Nick Goodell, Chris Nugent, Calvin Mende, Cole Bogner, Cal Fisher, Brett Wildman, Will Bantle, Toby Ezeonu, Michal Kowal, Ryan Merk, Owen Rose and John Kerr) to 68 All-America awards. At least three of Pavlik's players have earned first- or second-team All-East/All-EIVA accolades in each season of his tenure as head coach of the Nittany Lions.
Pavlik's coaching experiences have spanned more than just the collegiate level with Penn State. His coaching career began, as many do, at the high school level, but he climbed the ladder into the collegiate and international ranks in addition to taking on administrative roles within the sport.
He was a member of the AVCA Board of Directors as well as chairman of the AVCA All-America committee. Pavlik was also named EIVA Coach of the Year from 1995-97 and served as the Head of Delegation for the defending Olympic champion USA men's volleyball team at the America's Cup in Brazil in September 2008.
During the summer of 1995, Pavlik was a member of the coaching staff of the World University Games team that competed in Japan and finished eighth out of 30 teams. Former Nittany Lion captains Ed Josefoski and Kevin Hourican were team members. Pavlik coached the U.S. National Team at the NORCECA competition in Edmonton, Alberta, in the fall of 1995. The USA took home the silver, losing to Cuba in the final.
Pavlik was also a member of the U.S. staff at the World University Games in Buffalo, New York. In the summer of 1994, he directed the East team to a silver medal at the U.S. Olympic Festival.
Pavlik again joined the World University Games staff in the summer of 2001 when he served as the U.S. Head of Delegation for the Games, which were held in Beijing, China. Pavlik and the U.S. team brought home the gold, the first-ever gold medal won by the men's World University Games team, and the first men's gold medal at any level since the 1988 Olympic Games gold. Current Lion assistant coach Colin McMillan was a player on that WUG team.
A native of Derry, Pa., Pavlik served as an assistant to Derry High School coach Rich Schall from 1985-88. Derry won two state titles (1986, `88) and finished second in 1987 and third in 1985. As head coach of a 17-and-under junior boys team in the York, Pa., area (1985-86), he led the team to a fourth-place finish at the national tournament.
From 1986-88, Pavlik worked with the South-Central Pennsylvania Girls Volleyball Association. He also served as an assistant coach for the women's teams at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Juniata College.
Pavlik resides in McAlevys Fort, Pennsylvania, with his wife, the former Heather Blough, and their son Jackson. Heather, a three-time AVCA First Team All-American setter for Juniata College, is now the head coach for the Eagles women's volleyball team that has won back-to-back national titles (2022-23).
