With 15 years of experience as a head coach, Peter Letourneau enters his eighth season as the head coach at Cal U in 2018.
Letourneau boasts a 175-73 record with the program after spending eight seasons as a head coach between Frostburg State and Stevenson, both NCAA Division III programs in Maryland. He became all-time winningest coach in program history last year behind four-straight, 30-win seasons from 2011-14.
In 2016, the Vulcans returned to the NCAA Tournament after missing the post-season the previous year for the first time in over a decade. Cal U boasted a six-win improvement behind the play of three All-PSAC selections with Danielle Hayes pacing the league in kills while becoming the fourth player under Letourneau to reach 1,000 career kills.
Letourneau guided Cal U to its eighth PSAC Championship in 2014 after entering the tournament as the fourth seed from the Western Division. The Vulcans later received the third seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the regional final for the ninth-consecutive year. Laurel Miller, who led the PSAC in total kills, was named PSAC Tournament MVP and also repeated as an All-PSAC West First-Team selection.
During his time with the program, Letourneau has developed 19 All-PSAC West honorees while posting at least 20 wins in five of the past seven years. Miranda Fouzie earned All-PSAC West laurels three times in her career and ranked third in the country in total blocks as a junior.
The Vulcans advanced to the finals of the PSAC Tournament in 2013 despite playing only two seniors during the year. Cal U earned the third seed in the NCAA Regional Tournament and posted two victories before losing in the regional final. In a breakout junior campaign, Miller ranked among the top five in the PSAC in kills, points and aces while nearly becoming the first player with 500 kills in a season under Letourneau.
In addition to on-court success, Letourneau has mentored five Academic All-Americans with the program featuring at least one selection in five of his seven seasons. Miller became only the second player in program history to earn the honor twice in a career, while Megan Litoborski led the PSAC in assists in 2016 and was named an Academic All-American. Cal U also boasted the recipient of the PSAC Champion Scholar in the initial four years of the award from 2011-14 with Litoborksi earning the accolade as a sophomore.
Cal U featured a prolific offensive team in 2012, as Meghan Franz and Brandy Harris combined for over 2,250 kills in their careers. Franz, a two-time Academic All-American, led the PSAC in hitting percentage as a senior and set the all-time school record for blocks. The Vulcans ended the regular season as the top-ranked team in the region before suffering a loss in the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament. Cal U responded with a pair of wins in the NCAA Tournament as the third seed before falling in the regional final.
Letourneau guided the Vulcans to instant success in his first year with the program, as Cal U won the PSAC Championship and finished the season with a 33-5 record. Harris was named the PSAC Tournament MVP and was one of four All-PSAC West selections, as the Vulcans were selected as the region’s top team. Letourneau was also tabbed PSAC West Coach of the Year during his initial season with the program. In the NCAA Tournament, Cal U advanced to the regional final with a pair of sweeps before suffering its only home loss of the season.
Prior to his arrival, Letourneau posted a 145-60 overall record in six seasons at Frostburg State with 93 wins over his last three seasons. He led the Bobcats to four-straight conference championships as a member of both the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) and Capital Athletic Conference (CAC). Frostburg State also made the NCAA Tournament in each of his last four years and advanced to the regional championship for the first time in school history in 2010.
Letourneau was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year in 2009 after leading Frostburg State to its first 30-win season in five years. The following season, Letourneau received CAC Coach of the Year honors after Frostburg State went 34-4 overall behind the play of CAC Player of the Year and Academic All-American Sarah Stephens.
Before Frostburg State, Letourneau served as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Rutgers in 2004 and helped the Scarlet Knights post a 16-10 overall record, which featured a nine-match road winning streak and an upset of eventual conference runner-up Pittsburgh.
Letourneau started his collegiate coaching career as the head coach of both the men’s and women’s volleyball programs at Stevenson from 2001-03.
Prior to Stevenson, Letourneau coached the Time Out Junior Olympic Volleyball Club. He has also coached at numerous camps over his career, including the Gold Medal Squared Volleyball Camp and UNC Volleyball Camp. In 2002, he received a Program Level I coaching accreditation from the USA Volleyball.
Letourneau gained valuable experience during his playing career. Over his six-year stint with the United States Air Force (1992-98), he was selected to the All-Services Volleyball Team and the All-Air Force Team (1994-95). He also played on the Florida Pro-Beach Volleyball Tour (1990-92) and began his playing career at East Stroudsburg in 1989.
Letourneau, who graduated from Towson (Md.) in 2003, and his wife Barbara have a son, Nathaniel, and reside in California.Â
