FORT WORTH – Head coach Jason Williams has announced several staff promotions for the 2024 volleyball season.
Kyle Luongo and Morgan Thomas have both been promoted to Associate Head Coach, while China Perkins will step into the role of Director of Operations.
Luongo and Thomas have both been crucial in the success of TCU volleyball over the past two years. The Horned Frogs advanced to back-to-back NCAA Round of 32 appearances and earned the most ranked wins in a single season with three in 2023.
With both Luongo and Thomas on staff the past two seasons, TCU produced its first-ever AVCA Third-Team All-American, three AVCA All-Southwest Region honors and five All-Big 12 selections. The Horned Frogs have tallied 34 wins over the past two years.
Luongo wrapped up his third season on staff for the Horned Frogs. He leads TCU's efforts in film breakdown and opponent scouting. While Luongo helps train all position groups, he primarily specializes in coaching TCU's setters.
His opponent scouting proved crucial in the 2023 season as TCU earned 13 wins against AVCA Top 100 teams as well as nine wins against AVCA Top 50 teams. The Frogs finished with their highest-ever end-of-year RPI (No. 39) and swept No. 20 Baylor on the road for the first ranked road wins in program history.
"Kyle was on a path of being promoted before I came here and he has done a tremendous job helping us get to where we are," Williams said. "He's going to be an integral part of our future and I'm so excited to have him be promoted."
Thomas, who begins her third year with TCU volleyball in 2024, serves as the program's recruiting coordinator and specializes in serve receive, defense and serving.
Her work with the Horned Frogs' defense this season was pivotal in TCU's second straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023. TCU ranked third in the Big 12 with 2.54 blocks per set and saw both Sarah Sylvester (1.16) and Brianna Green (1.17) rank in the Top 10 in the Big 12 in blocks per set.
Thomas' recruiting also helped the Horned Frogs land a pair of impact transfers for the 2023 season. Thomas was influential in recruiting Green, as well as Melanie Parra. Parra recorded one of the best single seasons in program history and capped off her spectacular season garnering AVCA Third Team All-American honors. The unanimous First Team All-Big 12 selection garnered AVCA National Player of the Week honors (Sept. 19) and was a two-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
TCU's 2024 recruiting class has also received high praise. It was tabbed as the No. 9 recruiting class in the country by PrepVolleyball.com and the No. 14 recruiting class by PrepDig.com.
"We're lucky to have Morgan," Williams said. "She's one of the top recruiters in the country and this is such a deserving honor for her. She has basically been in that title for me since the beginning and this is a way of being able to celebrate her."
While this will be Perkins' first season as the Director of Operations, she will begin her fourth season as a member of the Horned Frog staff.
Perkins has been on TCU's volleyball staff for the past three seasons. She served as the Player Development Coach during the 2023 season and was TCU's graduate assistant from 2021-23. Perkins was also a member of the TCU volleyball team from 2015-17.
As the Player Development Coach, Perkins primarily worked with the hitters and also assisted in training all other position groups.
"China bleeds Purple," Williams said. "She wants to stay here and we don't want her to leave. I'm so excited that she's able to fill this role."
