University of St. Thomas Athletics
Staff Directory
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Kevin Rivas is entering his fourth season as an assistant coach of St. Thomas volleyball in 2025.
Rivas played an integral role in guiding St. Thomas Volleyball through its most successful season of the Division I era in 2024, helping the Tommies secure 18 wins and their first-ever victory over a Power Four opponent with a 3-1 result against Iowa. St. Thomas captured three straight non-conference tournament titles and finished 3-1 against the Summit League’s top postseason teams, including a sweep of tournament champion South Dakota and a road win that ended South Dakota State’s 22-0 start. The Tommies led the Summit in digs and ranked among the league’s top three in opponent hitting percentage, assists per set, and kills per set. The team also earned a program-best three All-Summit First Team honors, two honorable mentions, and its fourth straight All-Freshman selection.
Rivas most recently served as the Arcadia University head women’s volleyball coach. During his tenure, the program accumulated three-straight USMC/AVCA Team Academic Awards and were the finalist for the athletic department’s team GPA award (3.70 or higher GPA) each year. In three academic years, he facilitated 24 players to academic conference honor roll status, eight players to All-Conference selections, three players to academic All-Conference teams, and two players to regional All-American honors. He led the program to it’s first regional ranking in 2019, an undefeated COVID-19 shortened season, and to the conference tournament each year as the head coach.
Rivas served as an assistant coach with the Knights' men's and women's volleyball teams for four seasons prior to taking over the reins. As an assistant with the Knights, Rivas helped both the men's and women's programs rise to the top of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). The women's team won at least 22 matches in the final three seasons, finishing as the MAC Commonwealth runner-up each year. Seven different players earned a total of 10 All-Conference selections during Rivas' time as an assistant, including Emily Eng, who became the program's first-ever All-American in 2018. In three seasons with the men's team, Rivas helped the Knights improve their win total each season, including a 26-11 record in 2019 and the program's first-ever MAC title and NCAA Appearance. Four different players earned a total of seven All-Conference selections during Rivas' time as an assistant, including Austin Brass, who became the program's first-ever All-American in 2019.
Rivas began his professional volleyball career in Barcelona, Spain for Volei Mundet Liga II in 2009 and in Lima, Peru for Deportiva Wanka Division I in 2010 as a setter and libero, leading his Deportiva Wanka squad to a second-place finish in the league.
Rivas earned his bachelor's degree in finance from Juniata College in 2011 and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minn. with his wife, Dr. Abby Syverson, and their two-year-old daughter.
