Daemen University Athletics

Mark Parisi begins his tenth year as the Head Women's Volleyball Coach in 2014 and has his team coming off three consecutive seasons of 23 or more victories.  That includes back-to-back United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national championships.

The 2013 season saw Parisi help the Wildcats usher in a new era as the program joined the East Coast Conference (ECC) of NCAA Division II.  A 15-match winning streak from mid-October through mid-November propelled Parisi's squad to a 10-win season in conference play, tying them for fourth place with Dowling College.  Due to Daemen's ongoing transition towards full NCAA Division II membership, the program was not yet eligible for the ECC Tournament which they would have qualified for had they been eligible.

Part of the team's 15-match winning streak was a clean sweep of their matches at the USCAA National Championships.  After entering the tournament as the No. 3 overall seed, Parisi guided his team through pool play and past No. 4 SUNY Canton (quarterfinals) and No. 6 Rochester College (semifinals) to set up a rematch with No. 2 Florida College in the title match which Daemen won in four sets.

2012 was another magical season for Parisi and the Wildcats, culminating in their first USCAA national championship.  Along the way, the Wildcats went 11-2 against NCAA Division II opponents in what was the College's first year of NCAA Division II candidacy.

In two appearances at the USCAA National Championships, Parisi has led the team to a perfect 14-0 record while dropping only three sets 

The success of the 2012 and 2013 seasons came on the heels of a 26-15 campaign in 2011.  Parisi led the Wildcats to a 6-4 record in their final season as an affiliate of the American Mideast Conference (AMC), and a runner-up finish at the AMC Tournament.

After taking the reins of the program midway through the 2005 season,  Parisi led the Wildcats to 14 wins in 2006, more than doubling their 2005 win total.  In 2009, Parisi led the Wildcats to an 18-16 mark, giving the program its' first winning season since 2004.

Parisi has spent the last 15 years coaching numerous youth USA volleyball teams with the WNY Storm Volleyball and Niagara Frontier Volleyball (NFVB) clubs, where he also serves as a club director.   As a member of the NFVB Advisory Board, he is responsibile for coordinating the National/Regional levels and college recruitment.   He has been a player and a coach for over 30 years and brings a passion for competition to the program.

Parisi earned a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Master of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB).  He later added a Master of Science Degree in Business Administration, also from from UB.  

In the professional world, Parisi works as the Vice President for Product and Business Development at Niagara Thermal Products.  He is also the President of CreativDesign of WNY, Inc.  In these roles, he has led advanced product development groups and has been a proponent of bringing innovation and entrepreneurship to the region.  

A native of Cheektowaga, N.Y., Parisi is a 1980 graduate of Cleveland Hill High School, where he lettered in volleyball, baseball and bowling.