The 2025-25 school year will mark the 20th season for Joel List at Regis University and his ninth serving as the head coach. For his first 11 seasons, List served as 30-year head coach Frank Lavrisha's top assistant and recruiting coordinator. List currently owns a 168-61 (.733) record, two RMAC regular season championships (2017 and 2019), three RMAC Tournament championships (2017, 2019, and 2023), as well as five NCAA Tournament appearances.
The 2024 squad led the NCAA DII in blocks per set for the second year in a row at 2.9 with the help of D2CCA All-Region performers Amelia Davis (1.30) and Braiziah Dixon (1.39). The two led five Rangers to earn All-RMAC recognition, and Dixon had matches with 13 and 12 blocks, the two highest totals in program history. The team made their sixth straight RMAC Tournament, going 14-14 (9-5 RMAC), and received their 20th AVCA Team Academic Award with a current streak of 11 years in a row.
The 2023 campaign saw Regis defeat the top two seeds in RMAC Tournament semifinals and final to claim the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Rangers finished with a 23-7 overall record and tied for second in the RMAC regular season standings. List was named the AVCA South Central Region Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. At the conclusion of the season, four individuals on the team were named Third Team or Honorable Mention All-Americans.
In 2022, the Rangers climbed as high as No. 14 in the country in the national rankings, finishing the campaign with a 22-8 overall record and a second-place finish in the RMAC regular season/tournament to MSU Denver. Regis made its 25th trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history and had two players in Amelia Davis (Second Team) and Mara LeGrand (Honorable Mention), earn All-American accolades.
Returning to a normal schedule in 2021, the Rangers were ranked as high as No. 22 in the country by the AVCA. The team finished with a 20-8 overall record, including a 15-3 mark inside the RMAC, to finish fourth in the regular season standings. The Rangers received an at-large bid to the NCAA South Central Regional, falling in five sets to No. 6 Angelo State. It marked the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Rangers during List's tenure as head coach and 24th trip in program history.
The 2020 volleyball season was postponed until late winter, early spring of 2021. Regis competed in 15 matches during the shortened season, winning 10 and losing five games. The team had a 10-3 record inside the RMAC, and qualified for the RMAC Tournament. However, the team was unable to compete in the 2021 Spring RMAC Volleyball Tournament due to COVID-19 protocols. Sophomore Haley Kennedy was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year.
In 2019, List and the Rangers made history as they captured the RMAC Regular Season Title and advanced their way to the National Semifinals of the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship. The team posted a 29-5 overall record with a 17-1 record in the RMAC. At one point during the season, the team won 40-straight sets. Regis fell to the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers in three sets during the RMAC Tournament Semifinals before hosting the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament. RU beat MSU Denver 3-2 in the first round, and then dominated #4 University of Arkansas - Fort Smith in straight sets in round two, advancing to the South Central Regional Championship. The #1 Rangers and the #2 Orediggers met in the final for the second-straight tournament, but this time RU was on the right end of a three-set win over Mines. The win advanced Regis to the NCAA Quarterfinals where they took down the Saint Leo University Lions in three sets to advance to the semifinals against the nation's #1 seeded California State University, San Bernardino Coyotes. The match was tied after two sets, but the top-seeded Coyotes prevailed in sets three and four with back-to-back 25-17 set wins, ending the season for the Rangers. Senior setter Silvia Basso, senior middle blocker Nikki Kennedy, and senior outside hitter Izzy Gosar all received AVCA All-America Honorable Mention recognition for the season. List garnered his second RMAC Coach of the Year honor in 2019, and was also selected as the South Central Region Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons.
List’s 2018 Rangers squad finished the season with a 19-10 record overall and a 14-4 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play to finish fifth in the league. Junior Nikki Kennedy, junior Silvia Basso, and sophomore Caitlyn Burroway all earned All-RMAC First Team honors. Juniors Kelsey Green and Izzy Gosar made All-RMAC Second Team, while senior Kristina Schell earned All-RMAC Honorable Mention honors. Kennedy and Basso were additionally named to the D2CCA All-South Central Region Second Team, and Kennedy reached the AVCA All-South Central Region Team as well. Lastly, Kennedy capped off her year by being recognized on the AVCA All-America Third Team.
In 2017, List made a major impact as a rookie head coach, guiding his team to a South Central Region Championship, winning the RMAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships along the way. The team produced a 31-4 overall record and a 17-1 mark in the RMAC. List was named AVCA South Central Region Coach of the Year and RMAC Coach of the Year in 2017. The 31 wins tied for sixth-most in a single season, and the team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2017 NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship Tournament in Pensacola, Fla.
During his first season as the head coach, List helped Kennedy become the youngest First-Team AVCA All-American in program history. Kennedy was the RMAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, earning many other accolades throughout the season. Burroway was another standout who benefited under List's leadership as she was named the RMAC Freshman of the Year in 2017.
The 2024 season is the start of List's 22nd season as a coach at the collegiate level. He spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons as the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Fort Hays State University. List moved on from FHSU in 2004 after helping the Tigers to a 31-5 record and a No. 11 national ranking his last season. He also volunteered with the University of Nebraska-Kearney women's volleyball team from 1999-2001.
His coaching involvement has ranged from training middle school teams to international competition. He has been the head coach for several years in the club scene. He was involved with club volleyball in Nebraska for three years, in Illinois for one year, and is coaching with the club scene here in Denver.
Prior to coming to Regis in the spring of 2006, List was a personal trainer and manager of a strength and fitness facility in the Chicago area.
List's coaching experiences extended outside the club and collegiate levels. He had the opportunity to experience the international competition of volleyball by coaching with the nonprofit organization, USA Athletes International, in both Holland and Germany. He has also coached his team and others in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Brazil, and most recently in Botswana. List was exposed to volleyball in elementary school because his father was a coach. He began playing volleyball while living in Ogallala, Nebraska, a community rich in volleyball history. His early coaching experiences began while at a middle school near Omaha, Neb., where he taught math. While in Omaha, List was a volunteer assistant at Papillion-La Vista High School in 2001, where the team finished with a Class A State Championship and a record of 40-1. He also was a club coach for the Nebraska Juniors VBC for a few years.
In addition to coaching List has served on several volleyball committees. He was a member of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) in 2019 and then became chair of the committee which gave him a seat on the NCAA National Committee from 2020-2024. List is also currently the coaching representative on the RMAC Championships committee.
A 2001 graduate with a bachelor's degree in education and coaching from Nebraska-Kearney, List went on to complete his master's in exercise science from Fort Hays State University. List is a member of the AVCA.
List resides in Denver with his wife, Leslie, and two daughters, Lilly and Jaiden.
