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Dan Bithell

Dan Bithell brings 25 years of collegiate coaching experience to Zona. The 2023-2024 season will be his 15th year with Zona. 

Dan has been the head coach at Pima Community College since the 2000 season. Prior to assuming the head coaching job, he was an assistant and a volunteer for six years. During his tenure at Pima, Dan has mentored 30 All-Conference players, four NJCAA All Americans, and 34 NJCAA Academic All American players. His teams have qualified for the NJCAA Region I, DII tournament on seven occasions, including three Region I Championship Match appearances. In the Spring of 2021, the Aztecs won the South Central District tournament and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament for the first time. His teams have been nominated for the academic team of the year on seven occasions.

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Dan has 18 years of club coaching experience and has helped teams he's coached earn three USAV Junior Olympic Medals (gold, silver, and bronze). For the past eight seasons, Dan has coached with the 17U/18U travel teams at Zona. In 2017, Dan helped the 17-1 team earn a gold medal (Southern Arizona's first) at the USAV Junior Olympics. From 2002-2006, Dan was an assistant coach at the 18U level with Zona. In 2006, Dan was an assistant coach for the first team from Southern Arizona to qualify for the USAV Junior Olympics. Prior to his current stint with Zona, Dan was a co-director and head coach for VBC Dinamo for eight seasons that included a 16U silver medal finish in 2009 and a 16U bronze medal finish in 2013 at the USAV Junior Olympics. In 2009, Dan was the assistant coach for Dinamo's 16U team that became the first team from Southern Arizona to compete internationally as they traveled to Moscow, Russia and placed 5th at the Victor Filipchenko Memorial Tournament. Through coaching various elite teams, Dan has helped in preparing and placing some of Tucson’s finest volleyball players in colleges, including: New Mexico State University; University of the Pacific; Seattle University; Oberlin College; Auburn University; New Mexico Highlands University; Columbia University; Quincy University, Rice University; Tennessee State University; Northern Arizona University; Northern Colorado University; University of Nevada - Las Vegas; Pepperdine University; University of Maryland.

Dan is a native of San Diego, but moved to Tucson in 1990 to attend the University of Arizona. In his free time, he enjoys photography, riding his mountain and road bike, and playing volleyball.

Dan's Coaching Philosophy:

My philosophy is to cultivate leadership, accountability, teamwork, problem solving, creativity, competitiveness and lifelong learning through the game of volleyball. I love coaching because I see the best version of myself when supporting, leading, and challenging young people to be their best.