Central Washington University Athletics

Mario Andaya embarks on his 29^th season as the Central Washington Volleyball Head Coach in 2024. 

The 2023-24 season saw the Wildcats make it to their 11th-straight NCAA West Regional, falling 3-0 to hosting Cal State San Bernardino in the first round. The 'Cats finished with a 20-7 record, going 14-4 in GNAC play. CWU opened the 2024 season with eight of their first nine opponents making the NCAA Tournament the year prior, going 7-2, sweeping their competition at the Up North Preseason Tournament including victories over #5 St. Cloud State and over hosting #7 Minnesota-Duluth. Tia Andaya, Emma Daoud-Hebert, Scottie Ellsworth, and Hannah Stires all earned 1st Team All-GNAC. Andaya and Daoud-Hebert each earned AVCA and CCA All-West Region and AVCA All-American honors. Andaya signed a professional contract overseas with K.S. Tirana of Albania. 

The 2022-23 season was certainly a memorable one as Andaya led the Wildcats to their 10th-straight NCAA West Regional. The team recorded a 17-11 overall record, including an 11-7 record in GNAC play. The landmark win of the year was a 3-1 victory over second-seeded Western Washington in the opening round of the NCAA West Regional.
 
In fact, since joining the Division II ranks the Wildcats have appeared in 13 NCAA Regionals, produced 20 AVCA All-Region selections, 14 AVCA All-Americans, six GNAC Players of the Year (overall and defense), and 35 All-GNAC first-team selections.
 
And not to be overlooked, Andaya himself has twice been named GNAC Coach of the Year (2004, 2005).
 
Under Andaya’s guidance, the Wildcats have also produced five 20-win seasons and 18 winning campaigns.

Andaya, who began his head coaching career with the Wildcats at the age of 24 prior to the 1996 season, is now the dean of Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaches. Not surprisingly, Andaya is also the school’s all-time leader with 432 career coaching victories.

A former track and field standout at CWU in the long and triple jump, Andaya began assisting with the Wildcats’ volleyball program under his predecessor, the late John Pearson, in 1992. Spending two years as junior varsity head coach and two more as a varsity assistant to Pearson, Andaya was handed the reigns of the team before the school's next-to-last season in the NAIA in 1996.

Andaya proceeded to guide Central Washington through its final days in the NAIA to its three-year stay in the Pacific West Conference (1998-2000), and ultimately its move to the GNAC in 2001.

Andaya and the Wildcats enjoyed a stellar season in 2004. Central won all 26 of its regular-season matches, becoming just the sixth team in NCAA Division II history to complete the regular season without a loss. After the team’s win streak reached 31 consecutive matches (including the final five matches of 2003) and the Wildcats had obtained their highest national ranking (11th) since joining the NCAA ranks, only a formidable Hawaii Pacific squad interfered with a potentially-extensive postseason run by CWU. The Wildcats’ success culminated with Andaya earning GNAC and Pacific Region Coach of the Year honors.

A second straight conference championship followed in 2005 and, after receiving an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament, Andaya guided Central to its first postseason victory since 1991 with a five-game defeat of second-seeded Cal Poly Pomona. The Wildcats also came within one game of the regional championship match, losing to Cal State San Bernardino in five games in the regional semifinals.

Off the court, Andaya has coached over 100 academic all-conference players during his tenure. In 2002, the Wildcats set a conference record with eight selections to the GNAC Academic All-Conference team and posted the highest team grade-point average in the 10-team league. Four different times, a Wildcat has posted the highest individual GPA in the GNAC.

Andaya, who grew up in Bothell, Washington, graduated from Central in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He is an active member of the AVCA, serving on its Division II national ranking committee.

Andaya, born September 9, 1971, resides in Ellensburg with his wife, the former Molly Rettkowski (a former CWU volleyball standout). The couple has three children.

Started at CWU:
August 1993

Experience:
1996-Present: Central Washington -- Head Volleyball Coach
1993-1995: Central Washington -- Assistant Volleyball Coach
1993-1994: Central Washington -- Junior Varsity Volleyball Coach
1992: Central Washington -- Student Assistant Volleyball Coach

Education:
Central Washington University, 1993 -- B.S. in Business Management
Concordia University Irvine, 2014 -- M.A. in Coaching and Athletic Administration
Bothell High School (WA), 1989

Hometown:
Bothell, Wash.

ANDAYA’S YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RECORD AT CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: