Ruth Thomas
The Ottumwa Community School District’s athletic director has announced that Ruth Thomas has been named the Ottumwa High School head varsity volleyball coach for the 2022-23 season.
Thomas brings extensive volleyball experience to the position, as both a player and coach. As a player, Thomas was a three-year varsity starter at Iowa City High School, and a two-year varsity starter at both Grand View College and Simpson College. As a coach, she brings 30 years of coaching experience to the position. She was a junior college assistant coach at Western Arizona JC, a head varsity coach at Alta-Aurelia High School, a head varsity coach at Clear Creek-Amana, spent four years as an assistant varsity coach and five years as head varsity coach at OHS. She also coached Evans Middle School’s volleyball program for 14 years. Thomas retired from Ottumwa Schools in 2021.
“I’m very excited to get back into coaching,” said Thomas. “With retirement, I’ll be able to dive in at a deeper level.” She looks forward to continuing to build the Ottumwa program, solidifying consistency within the program from the bottom up, and to serving the needs of the players that love the sport.
"The Ottumwa Athletic Department is very pleased to have Ruth Thomas back as our head volleyball coach,” said Scott Maas, Ottumwa Athletic Director. “Ruth's experience, knowledge, and passion for the game will allow her to run an excellent program."
