MERCED, Calif. – Ai Prachumsri has held the role of University of California, Merced head men's and women's volleyball coach since 2017. In conjunction with the transition to NCAA Division II, Prachumsri will continue leading the women's volleyball program while Executive Director of Recreation & Athletics David Dunham will announce a new head men's volleyball coach this week. A national search began during the 2025 season.

Prachumsri, who in 2024-25 became just the fourth coach in NAIA history to lead his men's and women's volleyball teams to the national championships in the same season, is the winningest coach in program history and compiled a 98-98 record, including 56-34 in California Pacific Conference play. The 2X Cal Pac Coach of the Year led men's volleyball to the Cal Pac Regular Season Championship in 2024 and the Cal Pac Tournament Championship in 2025. Both were firsts in program history.

"I want to thank all of the alumni, current student-athletes, and staff that has been a part of the men's volleyball program over the last eight years," Prachumsri said. "I am honored to have been part of the program and I can't wait to see what's next for the team competing in NCAA Division II."

"Coach Ai Prachumsri has done an outstanding job leading both our men's and women's volleyball programs over the last eight plus years," Dunham said. "His commitment to our student-athletes and our volleyball programs has been tremendous.  I am excited to watch him lead our women's volleyball team into Division II and the CCAA and I am grateful for his leadership building two successful programs."

UC Merced finished ranked No. 15 in the NAIA Men's Volleyball Coaches Top 15 Postseason Poll last month. Overall, Prachumsri's team appeared in six Coaches Top 15 Polls since 2021.

In his eight seasons at the helm, Prachumsri coached the Bobcats to eight Top 15 wins in his career, including sweeping No. 4 St. Ambrose on March 16, 2018. As UC Merced's NAIA era comes to an end, men's volleyball's win over fourth-ranked St. Ambrose is the highest ranked win in school history across all sports.

Prachumsri has been with the men's volleyball program since its inception in 2014. As a student-athlete at UC Merced, he competed as a member of the men's volleyball club team for three years and in 2014, as the program was elevated to the intercollegiate level, he competed as the starting libero for the inaugural squad.

The first UC Merced alum to hold a head coaching position for the Bobcats, Prachumsri graduated in 2014 with a degree in bioengineering. After graduation, he was an assistant coach for two years before being named interim head coach in 2017 and head coach in 2018.

He coached 25 all-conference selections, four Cal Pac Setter of the Year recipients, two Cal Pac Defenders of the Year, and three NAIA AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans.

Academically, Prachumsri's squad has earned a plethora of national honors including two CSC Academic All-America distinctions and 28 Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athletes. He has also mentored his team to four NAIA Scholar-Team awards.

His accomplishments and commitment to UC Merced men's volleyball will always be celebrated.

Prachumsri is equally as decorated with UC Merced women's volleyball, which he will continue to lead moving forward. This past season, Prachumsri was named the Cal Pac Coach of the Year and the Bobcats swept the Cal Pac Regular Season and Tournament Championship. The Bobcats won a program-record 20 games in a season that saw Sera Riley earn Cal Pac Player of the Year and NAIA Third Team All-America honors. Prachumsri will enter his tenth year at the helm with 114 career wins. After going 92-52 in Cal Pac play, Prachumsri will lead UC Merced women's volleyball into the CCAA as a NCAA Division II member.