Derrick Trent has been officially announced as a full-time assistant coach on Derek Schroeder’s Jax State volleyball staff. Trent, a former standout setter with 15 years of coaching experience, joins the Gamecocks in 2025.
Prior to joining Jax State, Trent spent time leading Westcliff University, an NAIA in Irvine, California, men’s and women’s volleyball programs before moving into coaching the Bakersfield Volleyball Club. Trent then relocated to Austin, Texas, where he led the Austin Junior Volleyball Club for boys and girls. His last stop before coming to Jacksonville was an assistant coach position with UMBC’s women’s volleyball squad during the 2024 season.
Last season for the UMBC Retrievers, Trent was highly involved in the analytics of the team’s performance thanks to his proficiency in Data Volley. He also helped the Retrievers’ star, Aysia Miller, earn All-Eastern College Athletic Conference Second Team honors. Miller was also voted as the unanimous America East Libero of the Year, All-Conference Second Team, and All-Academic Team.
At Westcliff, Trent led the women’s team to a 3.45 overall team GPA, the highest in the school, and coached them to a 16-9 record, which was the team’s first time above .500.
Trent had an illustrious playing career ahead of entering the coaching ranks. He played club volleyball for eight years and during that time won two bronze medals at the Junior Olympics and was selected for the All-Tournament Team. Trent also competed in the USA High Performance camps and won a silver medal with the Youth National A2 Team. In 2008, he won a CIF Championship with Valencia High School and a National Championship with the squad as well. He was named as an AVCA High School First Team All-American thanks to his efforts.
Thanks to such a phenomenal club and high school career, Trent went on to be the number one recruit to Long Beach State as a setter. He played for Long Beach State from 2009-2013 where he and the team accumulated 80-68 overall record, including a 24-8 record in his final season. Immediately following his collegiate career, Trent played two seasons professionally in Slovenia.
Trent earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies while playing at Long Beach State. He later got a Master of Arts in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University. Trent was born in California where he resided for 31 years before living in Austin for three years, and Baltimore, Maryland for one year.
