Ryan Patton enters his 20th season at Mercyhurst in 2024.
The 2024 season marked the Lakers’ first season competing at the Division I level and as part of the Northeast Conference. Despite facing competitive opponents, Patton’s leadership was evident throughout the season, as the team embraced the challenges of this new era. The team finished with a 5-19 overall record and a 4-10 record in the NEC.
In the 2023 season, Patton led the Lakers to a 4-20 overall record and a 2-14 mark in the PSAC.
During the 2022 season, the Lakers went 3-22 throughout the regular season.
2021 produced the team's first full regular season schedule in two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Patton led the Lakers to an 11-16 record and a 7-9 mark in conference play. He helped lead the Lakers on a six game winning streak during the middle portion of the schedule which included wins over Gannon and Edinboro. Hannah Vuylsteke was named teh PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year while Beth Brady was selected to the PSAC West Second Team.
2019 was a solid year for Mercyhurst as they went 16-13 overall and 8-10 in PSAC action. The Lakers were strong when getting to play from ahead with nine victories coming by way of 3-0 scores. They also posted a pair of five-set wins on the road at Daemen College in their second contest of the day on September 7th and a thrilling come-from-behind win over PSAC foe California in front of the Lakers faithful on November 1st. Senior Katie Baird was selected to the PSAC All-Conference team. Patton's side was strong in the classroom as well with 13 players earning PSAC Scholar Athlete honors.
The Lakers had a tough 2018 campaign that saw his team go 10-21, including a 5-13 mark in PSAC play.
During the 2017 season, the Lakers went 11-13 throughout the regular season.
In 2016, Mercyhurst posted a 15-14 record with a 7-11 conference record in the PSAC. Patton earned his 200th career win during the 2016 campaign at East Stroudsburg on October 29. Patton holds the program record for wins entering the 2017 season with 202.
From 2012 through 2015, the Lakers' volleyball team under Patton had its best run in PSAC Conference play. Mercyhurst had at least 12 conference victories in each of those seasons and held a 50-35 record against conference opponents. Patton's Lakers earned three-straight NCAA Tournament bids between 2012-2014
The best season of his tenure was in 2012, when the Lakers won 25 matches that season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five years. That season on November 9th, the Lakers beat Indiana (Pa.) in five sets, giving Patton his 134
th win at Mercyhurst, tying him with Elaine Ruggiero for the most in program history.
In 2011, Mercyhurst went 14-18, as Patton won his 100th career match on September 10. The Lakers swept Pitt-Johnstown in the PSAC/WVIAC Crossover Tournament for the historic victory.
Mercyhurst won its most matches since 1993 and defeated every other team in the PSAC Western Division for the first time since joining the conference prior to the 2008 campaign.
The team’s appearances in the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Championship were the first two in the program’s history and the 2008 team was the first Laker team to advance in a conference tournament when it handed Edinboro a 3-1 loss.
Patton came to Mercyhurst in 2004 as the head coach of the Lakers men’s volleyball team and held the head role for both programs for three seasons. During the last four years, during which he's been able to focus all of his attention on the women’s program, the Lakers have amassed a record of 71-62 in the perenially tough conference. The program's streak of winning 50% or more of its matches for four consecutive seasons (2007-10), interrupted last year, was the longest such streak since the 1982-1986 teams did it for five straight seasons. Patton was named PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2008.
Prior to coming to Mercyhurst, Patton was the head men’s volleyball coach at Juniata College from 1996 to 2002. His team won the Molten Division III National Championship in 1998 and his 1999 team was the first Division III team to advance to the semifinals of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, which was comprised of teams from all three NCAA divisions. When the Mercyhurst men’s program was discontinued after the 2008 season, Patton's win total for men’s volleyball stood at 100 victories.
While at Juniata, Patton served as an assistant women’s coach from 1995-2000, during which time the Eagles achieved two national runners-up and five national semifinal appearances. He was the EIVA Division III Coach of the Year in 1998 and prior to becoming a coach was an “average player” (his words) on a team that won three consecutive EIVA D-III crowns and “somehow” (his word again) was named to the EIVA D-III All-Tournament team in 1993.
The Meadville, Pa., native graduated from Juniata in 1994 with a degree in mathematics and received his master’s in physical education (specialization in coaching) from Ball State University in 2006.
He is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association (PVCA). He served on the AVCA men’s coaches’ committee for three years and has spoken at both AVCA and PVCA-sponsored clinics. He currently serves as the women’s collegiate representative on the PVCA Executive Council. Beginning in 2011 he will be a member of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Volleyball Committee.
His most important roles are that of husband to Jenell (also his assistant coach) and father to sons Deke and Ike (coaches in training).
Patton's Record at Mercyhurst
| Year |
W |
L |
|
W |
L |
| 2005 |
13 |
15 |
|
3 |
14 |
| 2006 |
7 |
18 |
|
2 |
15 |
| 2007 |
18 |
14 |
|
4 |
13 |
| 2008 |
21 |
15 |
|
6 |
6 |
| 2009 |
20 |
12 |
|
11 |
8 |
| 2010 |
16 |
16 |
|
8 |
11 |
| 2011 |
14 |
18 |
|
6 |
13 |
| 2012 |
25 |
11 |
|
12 |
7 |
| 2013 |
18 |
14 |
|
12 |
10 |
| 2014 |
18 |
13 |
|
13 |
9 |
| 2015 |
18 |
15 |
|
13 |
9 |
| 2016 |
15 |
14 |
|
7 |
11 |
| 2017 |
11 |
18 |
|
6 |
12 |
| 2018 |
10 |
21 |
|
5 |
13 |
| 2019 |
16 |
13 |
|
8 |
10 |
| 2020 |
2 |
8 |
|
-------- |
-------- |
| 2021 |
11 |
16 |
|
7 |
9 |
| 2022 |
3 |
22 |
|
1 |
15 |
| Career |
256 |
273 |
|
124 |
185 |
*GLIAC Member from 2005-2007
*PSAC Member from 2008-Present
*2020 season was not held due to COVID-19
