San Diego State Director of Athletics John David Wicker ushered in a new era for the Aztec volleyball team with the hiring of Brent Hilliard as the fifth head coach in program history on Jan. 31, 2020.
Now entering his fifth season on The Mesa, Hilliard continues his mission to return the Aztecs to elite status in the Mountain West.
In 2023, Hilliard coached a youthful squad that was hounded by nagging injuries throughout the season. Nevertheless, the Scarlet and Black soldiered on, defeating Wyoming on the road in consecutive years after suffering 10 straight defeats there from 2012-21. SDSU also overcame some early adversity to knock off Boise State for the fourth time in the last six meetings.
In addition, the Aztecs experienced several near misses, dropping a trio of five-set thrillers to Mountain West tournament champion Fresno State as well as conference tournament participants Utah State and UNLV.
Under Hilliard’s direction, Taylor Underwood garnered all-Mountain West accolades in her first season at San Diego State after transferring from DePaul, finishing sixth in the league with 3.38 kills and 3.88 points per set against conference opponents during the regular season.
In a home match against Air Force, Underwood (.481) blasted a career-high 31 kills, which marked the third-highest figure in the conference during the 2023 campaign. Additionally, the Aztec opposite hitter set a school record for put-aways in the rally scoring era (since 2001) and logged the highest kill total by an SDSU player since 1997.
Scholastic achievement has been a trademark for the Aztec volleyball program, and the 2023 campaign was no different, as seven players landed on the Mountain West all-academic team following the fall semester.
Hilliard continued his success on the recruiting trail, securing the fourth and fifth AVCA High School All-Americans in the past three years with the addition of defensive specialist Gianna Bender and middle blocker/outside hitter Talea Mitchell, who joins Natalie Hughes (2022), Madison Corf (2021) and Kat Cooper (2021) on the Aztecs’ talented roster.
In his third season at SDSU in 2022, Hilliard’s directed the Aztecs to a late-season surge, as the Scarlet and Black won seven of its last 11 matches to secure the sixth and final spot in the Mountain West Championship. Facing elimination, SDSU rounded into tournament shape with a pair of crucial road victories over Nevada and San José State in the final two matches of the regular season before utilizing that momentum to pull off a thrilling 3-2 upset over No. 3 seed Colorado State in the first round of the MW Championship. The Aztecs’ triumph over the Rams marked their first victory over CSU in Fort Collins since 2013, a span of eight visits.
SDSU showed dramatic statistical improvement for its stretch run, posting greater per-set averages and marks in most categories over the final 11 matches compared to the first 20 contests, including kills (13.6 to 12.1), hitting percentage (.222 to .174), service aces (1.58 to 1.24), digs (13.09 to 11.73) and blocks (2.16 to 1.78).
Under Hilliard’s tutelage, outside hitter Madison Corf, a former AVCA High School All-American, received all-Mountain West honorable mention during her freshman season after she topped the squad with an average of 2.61 kills per set while ranking second with 282 kills overall.
In addition, opposite hitter Kayla Rivera blossomed under Hilliard’s direction, earning all-tournament honors at the MW Championship after tying for the team lead with 25 kills (2.89/set) and seven total blocks (0.78/set) while ranking second with a .362 hitting percentage in two matches.
SDSU also excelled in the classroom that season, as eight players were named to the Mountain West all-academic team.
In the fall of 2021, Hilliard and the Aztecs were faced with another demanding schedule, squaring off against 10 teams that qualified for postseason play.
However, San Diego State had its moments of glory, posting a 3-0 sweep at eventual Mountain West tournament champion Boise State before recording a five-set thriller on the road at UNLV, which went on to capture the NIVC crown.
Individually, Hilliard oversaw the continued rise to prominence of Victoria O’Sullivan, who received all-Mountain West recognition for the second straight season after ranking second in the conference with 3.71 kills per set, as the SDSU outside hitter concluded her illustrious career with 1,026 kills overall.
Hilliard’s charges enjoyed another successful year scholastically, with nine Aztecs landing on the Mountain West all-academic team, including Ashley Vanderpan, Kennedy Feuerborn and Serena Hodson, who were presented with the Malik Award, given to SDSU student-athletes who attain a 4.0 GPA.
In his first season with the Scarlet and Black, Hilliard endured a challenging season fraught with COVID-19 protocols, an abbreviated schedule that was postponed until spring, along with injuries to key players.
However, Hilliard and the Aztecs persevered through the 2021 spring campaign, posting a 6-9 record, highlighted by thrilling victories over Boise State on the road and Colorado State at home in the season finale, respectively. Against the Broncos, SDSU defeated a Boise State team that entered the contest with four consecutive 3-0 sweeps. Two weeks later, the Aztecs snapped an 11-match to the Rams dating back to 2014 and logged their first win over CSU in San Diego since 2012.
Under Hilliard’s guidance, O'Sullivan garnered all-Mountain West accolades for the first time in her career, as the SDSU junior led the squad with 3.25 kills per set, which ranked seventh in the conference. In addition, seniors Lauren Lee and Erin Gillcrist received MW Defensive Player of the Week recognition following the team’s aforementioned wins over Boise State and Colorado State, respectively.
Hilliard’s Aztecs also excelled in the classroom, with 12 student-athletes selected to the Mountain West all-academic team, including Lauren Lee, who also merited first-team all-District 8 academic honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
A 2018 inductee to the Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame, Hilliard arrived at SDSU with a wealth of experience after achieving 19 years of unparalleled success as an assistant coach at the University of San Diego, where he served as the Toreros’ associate head coach since 2007.
During his fruitful tenure, the Toreros qualified for the NCAA Tournament in all but one of his 19 seasons, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2004, 2006, 2013 and 2018. In addition, Hilliard helped guide the Toreros to nine West Coast Conference championships while his players earned six All-America awards, 12 All-America honorable mentions, 44 all-WCC accolades and 15 freshman all-conference certificates.
Hilliard twice assumed the reins of the USD program on an interim basis while head coach Jennifer Petrie was absent on maternity leave. In 2006, Hilliard was honored as WCC Coach of the Year after guiding the Toreros to a conference championship and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. That season, he coached five all-conference honorees, including WCC Player of the Year Kristen Carlson, as USD finished 14th in the final USA Today/Coaches Poll.
The Toreros also flourished under Hilliard’s guidance in 2011, racing to a 13-0 start en route a program-best 28-5 record, highlighted by a spot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Throughout his stint, USD was consistently ranked among the nation’s top 25, climbing to as high as No. 2 during the 2013 campaign and rising to No. 5 in 2016.
"I would like to thank John David Wicker, Jenny Bramer, Dr. Adela de la Torre and the rest of the SDSU search committee for making me feel so welcome during the interview process,” Hilliard said. “To be the head coach of such a remarkable women’s volleyball program in my family's hometown is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“We are fully committed to work tirelessly to elevate this program back to an elite status on the college volleyball landscape, one that the student body, faculty, community, alumni and, of course, all future Aztecs will take great pride in.”
Hilliard played collegiately at Long Beach State, earning All-America honors in each of his four years from 1990-93, including first-team recognition over his final three seasons. A right-side hitter for the 49ers, Hilliard was named the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year as a junior in 1992 after leading LBSU to a 31-1 record.
In 1991, Hilliard and the 49ers captured the NCAA Championship with a 3-1 victory over USC in the finals, avenging a loss to the Trojans in the title match the year before. He finished his career as the NCAA all-time leader with 3,034 kills.
Additionally, Hilliard was selected to play for Team USA in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where he helped the Americans capture the bronze medal. The following year, he won a silver medal at the 1993 Pan American Games in Argentina and also owns a bronze medal from the 1991 World Cup.
After receiving his undergraduate degree in 1993 from Long Beach State in political science, Hilliard continued his volleyball career as a professional in Europe from 1995-98, playing two seasons in Belgium and another in the Netherlands. In 1996, Hilliard and the Masiek Volleyball Club captured the Belgian national championship and competed in the European Champions League.
In addition to his collegiate experience, which included a stint as head coach at nearby Cuyamaca College in 1999 and 2000, Hilliard has also coached for the past 10 years at Wave Volleyball Club in Del Mar, the premier volleyball club in San Diego County.
“Our priority at SDSU will be to engage, attract and secure exceptional student-athletes that strive for both academic and athletic excellence in their everyday lives,” Hilliard added. “From day one, we will set expectations high and build from there. I am incredibly excited to get started and I look forward to the bright future ahead.”
Hilliard resides in San Diego with his wife Beth, daughter Audrey and son Christopher.