After enjoying a period of unparalleled success at the Division II level under head coach Theresa Garlacy, the Bryant University volleyball program proved it could ??" and would ??" fare just as well at the highest level of NCAA competition in its inaugural year of Division I play in 2008.
In 2008, in her 13th year of coaching at Bryant, Garlacy guided her Bulldogs to a 16-19 record against a slate of proven Division I opponents, coming up with big wins against teams from not just the Northeast Conference, but programs from the Patriot League, the Ivy League and the America East as well, all the while setting program and season records along the way.
During the 12 seasons prior to Bryant???s move to Division I, Garlacy led the Bulldogs to 10 NCAA Division II tournament appearances (including berths in the last nine seasons), an ECAC championship, five Northeast-10 Conference regular-season titles and seven appearances in the conference championship match, claiming five tournament titles.
In 2007, Bryant's final season in Division II, the Bulldogs went out with a bang, winning not just the Northeast-10 Conference regular-season title with a perfect 14-0 conference record (32-13 overall), but also capturing the program's fifth Northeast-10 Conference tournament championship and 10th berth into the NCAA tournament, making it to the 2007 Sweet 16.
Garlacy has accrued a myriad of accomplishments and milestones during her storied career, including recording the program???s 700th victory during the 2007 season.
Garlacy notched her 100th career victory in 1999 ??" just four years into her head coaching career. Four years later, she earned win No. 200, following that with victory No. 300 on September 15, 2006.
Garlacy enters 2009 boasting a career coaching record of 360-159 (.694), with a final Division II mark of 344-140. She left Division II ranked No. 24 in winning percentage and No. 26 in career victories among active coaches and is the 17th most winningest coach in DII history. Garlacy leaves the NE-10 ranked second all-time in career wins.
Garlacy has been involved with all 10 of Bryant's NCAA appearances, nine as head coach and one as an assistant.
In just her second season as Bryant's head coach, Garlacy was recognized as the 1997 Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Bulldogs to a 28-13 record and an NCAA tournament appearance.
In 1998, she led Bryant to the Northeast-10 Championship and the ECAC title, as Bryant finished with a 30-13 record. The Bulldogs returned to the NCAA field in 1999, despite losing five starters from the ???98 conference championship team, and made it two-straight national tournament appearances in 2000 despite having no seniors on the roster.
Garlacy led a veteran squad to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2001 before taking the Bulldogs to the NCAA regional final a year later, leaving Bryant as one of the last 16 teams alive in the ???02 tournament.
In 2003, the Bulldogs enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in school history, winning a school-record 37 matches and posting an undefeated Northeast-10 Conference record en route to the league regular-season and tournament titles. In recognition of her coaching efforts, Garlacy was named the 2003 Northeast-10 Coach of the Year.
In 2004, the Bulldogs claimed yet another NE-10 Conference title with an undefeated record as well as the program's sixth-straight NCAA regional appearance, and in 2005, Bryant successfully defended its conference tournament championship, not only earning another berth in the NCAA tournament, but hosting the regional at the Chace Athletic Center.
Over the years, Garlacy has served as a member of the NCAA regional volleyball committee, the ECAC championships committee and the NCAA volleyball rules committee. Honored by the Rhode Island Special Olympics with the Distinguished Service Award in 2003, Garlacy is a 1988 graduate of Providence College and earned a master's degree in teaching from Rhode Island College in 1992.
