Peter Volkert, who enters his ninth season as the Rams' head volleyball coach, has quickly turned the Rams into a contender in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

After finishing just a game out of the final conference playoff spot in 2004, and then recording 19 wins in 2005, Fordham finally broke through with their first Atlantic 10 Tournament berth in 2006. Then with a relatively young team, Fordham repeated that Atlantic 10 appearance in 2007 and 2008.

In 2009, the Rams fell short of qualify for the championship, but still had a first, as the team received the AVCA Team Academic Award for a team GPA over 3.3 for the first time in team history. The volleyball team repeated as a recipient of the AVCA Team Academic Award in 2010, while individually Christi Griffiths was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team.

In his first season at Fordham, the Rams recorded 14 wins overall and six conference wins, the most for the program since 1997. Individually, the Rams had their first All-Conference selection in Jamee Stimson since joining the Atlantic 10 in 1995, and the first for Fordham since 1992.

In 2005, the Rams hit the 19-win mark for the first time since the early 1990s, while having three players earn All-Atlantic 10 recognition (Marija Markovic - 1st Team; Stimson - Honorable Mention; Kealia Ieremia - Honorable Mention). Fordham then topped that performance with 21 wins in 2006, tying the school mark set in 1990, and matched in 1991. The Rams also made their inaugural Atlantic 10 tournament appearance, while having four players receive All-Atlantic 10 honors (Tasha Johnston, Markovic - 2nd Team; Stimson, Ieremia - Honorable Mention).

In all, Fordham has had 12 All-Atlantic 10 players since 2004, which includes recent graduates Christi Griffiths (Second Team - 2007 & 2008) and Katie Wells (Second Team - 2008 & 2009, Honorable Mention - 2010), and five All-Rookie team selections (Griffiths and Kailee May - 2007; Megan Arend - 2008; Mary Diamantidis - 2010; Krissy Buongiorno - 2011).

Volkert, the tenth head coach in Fordham volleyball history, was the head coach at Manhattan College for seven seasons, prior to his jump to Rose Hill.

"We were very excited to be able to find a coach with the talent and experience of a Peter Volkert," said Fordham Director of Athletic Administration and Chairman of the Volleyball Search Committee Charlie Elwood. "He has brought a wealth of experience to our volleyball program and we are confident that he will help Fordham rise to the top of the pack in the Atlantic 10."

At Manhattan, Volkert led the Jaspers to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship in each of his last two years. In his final season, Manhattan finished with a 21-14 overall record, 8-1 in the MAAC, earning a number one seed at the MAAC Tournament. The Jaspers won the MAAC Tournament to earn their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament where they fell in the first round to Pepperdine.

Volkert had two players win MAAC honors in 2003 with tri-captain Luka Van Cauteren earning MAAC Player of the Year honors as well as First Team All-Conference accolades and Maggie Pfeifer being named First Team All-Conference. Pfeifer and Van Cauteren were also named to the 2003 New York Lottery Volleyball All-Academic Team. In 2002, Manhattan compiled a 30-4 overall record, setting the school record for most wins in a season as the Jaspers won their first ever MAAC title and earned the team's first NCAA Tournament appearance. The 30-4 record was among top ten winning percentages in the nation while the squad also set a school record with a 22-game winning streak during the season. In addition, four of his student-athletes were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team as well as one being named Third Team Academic All-American.

Volkert arrived at Manhattan in January of 1997 and proceeded to build one of the top volleyball programs in the area. He led the Jaspers to consecutive fourth place MAAC finishes in his first two years (1997 and 1998) before they moved up to third place in 1999. In 2000, Volkert guided the team to a 23-11 record and a third place regular season MAAC finish. The 23 wins were the most for the program since the 1989 team recorded 25 wins and Volkert earned MAAC Coach of the Year. While at Manhattan, Volkert's student-athletes also found success in the classroom with several players earning MAAC All-Academic honors as well as MAAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.

Prior to his stint at Manhattan, Volkert served as the head women's volleyball coach at Pace University from 1994-96. He took over a program that recorded a 5-22 record in 1993 and led it to the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) Tournament in 1994, the ECAC Tournament in 1995 and the NCAA Tournament in 1996 where the Setters advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Volkert compiled a 78-26 record at Pace and the team's record of 33-7 and 30-7 over his last two years helped the Setters to a 14th and 19th national ranking in winning percentage, respectively, in the NCAA Division II. From 1993-94, Volkert served as the head men's volleyball coach at Concordia College where he took a program that had won just one match in 1992 to the a fifth place ranking in the East for NCAA Division II schools. Volkert also has experience on the high school level, serving as the head women's coach at Good Counsel High School in White Plains, New York in 1993, leading the team to a 17-4 record and a fourth place finish in the New York State Finals.

A 1992 graduate of Concordia College with a bachelor's degree in History and Secondary Education, Volkert has also earned master's degrees from Iona College in Multicultural Education and Educational Administration. Volkert, his wife, Stacey, their daughter, Taylor, and their sons, Trevor and Austin, currently reside in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.