Western Michigan alumnus Ryan Manning is set to enter his 21st season with the WMU volleyball program and 15th as associate head coach in 2025. Manning has held a variety of roles within the program, including serving as the Broncos’ recruiting coordinator.
Manning has been an assistant for Colleen Munson in every one of her years as a head coach, including five seasons at East Carolina before coming to Western Michigan, and the pair have combined to rack up more than 400 wins together at the collegiate level. The duo took over the WMU program in 2005, inheriting a team that had finished better than third in the MAC West just three times since 1990. Since arriving in Kalamazoo, they have led Western Michigan to six MAC West championships, including outright MAC titles in 2008 and 2023, MAC Tournament titles and trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2014, 2023 and 2024, and NCAA Tournament at-large bids in 2008 and 2011.
Following up on an historic 2023 campaign, the Broncos had another 20-win season and won their second consecutive MAC Tournament title in 2024. Along the way, Western Michigan upset #24 Marquette, for its first win over a top-25 opponent since 2003. Fifth-year setter Logan Case became the Mid-American Conference's all-time assists leader and was named All-MAC First Team for the fifth straight season. Case and fifth-year libero Andelyn Simkins also both earned AVCA All-Region honors. The Brown and Gold continued their success off the court as well, with Case being named a College Sports Communicators Academic All-American for the third consecutive year and nine Broncos earning their way onto the Academic All-MAC Team.
The WMU alum played an integral role in the Broncos having one of the best seasons in program history in 2023. Western Michigan went a perfect 18-0 in conference play and 31-3 overall, its most wins since 1983, and captured both the MAC Regular Season and Tournament titles on the way to an NCAA Tournament berth. In the tournament, the Brown and Gold upset No. 7 Auburn in the first round for their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2008. Along the way, Logan Case and Andelyn Simkins both received All-American accolades, with Case earning her second straight College Sports Communicators Academic All-America First Team selection and being named the CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for NCAA DI Women's Volleyball. WMU also set a MAC volleyball record by placing 11 student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC Team.
Manning was also instrumental in helping WMU to eight straight 20-win seasons from 2005-12, as well as another in 2014, and helped the Broncos to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2008, 2011 and 2014. The 2008 Broncos went on to win two matches in the NCAA Tournament over Dayton and No. 16 Tulane to reach the round of 16 for the first time since 1987 and fifth time in school history.
In 2011, Manning helped lead the Broncos to a 24-9 season and an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, where the Broncos took on #11 Washington in the first round, hosted in Minneapolis. It was the seventh consecutive 20-win campaign for the Broncos, the first time in program history the team had recorded the feat. The Broncos won four matches in as many days to shock the field at the 2014 MAC Tournament, upsetting top-seeded Ohio and third-seeded Miami to win the program's first MAC Tournament championship since 2000 and go to the NCAA Tournament.
As the Broncos’ recruiting coordinator, he helped prepare WMU for immediate yet sustained success, boasting seven MAC Freshmen of the Year in Jessica Brown (2009), Terin Norris (2011), Stephenee Yancy (2012), Ave Stout (2013), Sydney LeMay (2014), Hailey Knecht (2015) and Logan Case (2020).
The 2006 recruiting class earned Prepvolleyball.com Highest Honorable Mention honors, with three members of that class starting as freshmen. Katie Eberling and Caitlin Strimel earned MAC All-Freshman Team honors in 2006 and Michelle Moore was All-MAC First Team in 2007 and 2008. Moore went on to set a new school record in career kills, Strimel set a new school record in career digs and Eberling set a new school record in career kills-digs double-doubles. He also helped bring in 2008 All-MAC Second Team middle blocker Jaime Gotham and 2007 MAC All-Freshman Team outside hitter Allyson Doyle. Logan Case won the MAC Freshman of the Year and the MAC Setter of the Year awards for the 2020 season (played in the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19), and went on to become the all-time assists leader in both Western Michigan and Mid-American Conference history, and an All-American. His recruiting prowess also led to the 2010 and 2014 classes earning Highest Honorable Mention and the 2009, 2015, 2017 and 2020 classes receiving High Honorable Mention from Prep Volleyball.
As an assistant coach at ECU (2000-04), Manning served as recruiting coordinator, scouted opponents and served as the director of volleyball camps that were attended by over 200 athletes each year.
In 2000, Manning helped East Carolina to its first winning record since 1995. The team went 17-13, finished third in the Colonial Athletic Association and ranked sixth regionally, the first regional ranking in school history.
ECU made the move up in competition to Conference USA in 2001, and Munson and Manning guided the team to the Conference USA Tournament in their first season in the league.
A native of Woodridge, Ill., Manning spent one year as a volunteer assistant at Western Michigan alongside Munson in 1999. In that season, WMU went 25-7 overall and 15-3 in the Mid-American Conference while advancing to the MAC Tournament championship match.
Manning was also active with the WMU men’s club volleyball team for four seasons as president, captain and coach during his career. He was an accomplished player on the squad, as he was a three-time All-Conference selection and was named to the All-Midwest 10 Team. He was team and Midwest 10 League MVP for WMU in 2000.
As a high school coach, Manning led the Portage Northern High School junior varsity squad to a 118-10 record over two seasons (1997-98), including two league titles and one undefeated season.
He was also a successful club coach for the Kalamazoo Dead Frogs Junior Volleyball Club. He led the 17s to a fifth-place finish and the 16s to a ninth-place finish at the national championships. Two of his players earned All-America honors at the national tournament. Manning resumed his duties coaching the Dead Frogs upon his return to Kalamazoo.
Manning also has international coaching experience after going to Osaka, Japan, in January of 2004 to work with the Sakai Blazers, a men’s professional team consisting of five Olympians (among them was Brook Billings of the USA), coached by Manning’s high school club coach, Gordon Mayforth.
Manning is a 2000 graduate of Western Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in advertising. He attended Downers Grove (Ill.) South High School, where he was an All-Area First Team selection and a member of the Mizuno All-Star Team as a senior.
Manning and his wife, Brandy, are the parents of Isabelle, Vienna, and Treyden. The family resides in Portage.
