Gallaudet University

Boren enters his 20th season as the head coach of the Gallaudet University volleyball program for the 2025 season and 21st overall with the GU athletics department. In 19 seasons, Boren has accumulated a 440-245 career record with the Bison and led them to 11 NCAA tournament appearances and 10 United East Conference championships. Boren enters his 16th year as Assistant Athletic Director.

Gallaudet returned to the NCAA tournament during the 2021 season after the Bison won the United East Conference (formerly known as the NEAC) as the Bison posted a 21-12 record and 7-1 mark in the United East. That season the Bison earned three all-conference honors including the United East Player of the Year in Karita Lewis and Rookie of the Year in Emily Wright, who went on to garner AVCA All-America honorable mention honors after being named to the all-region first team. Boren earned his 350th collegiate victory this season.

GU's reign ended in 2017 as the Bison lost 3-1 to Morrisville State College in the NEAC championship as the 18-16 season came to a close. Thomas repeated as NEAC Player of the Year. Boren earned his 300th collegiate victory this season. 

Gallaudet's run of NEAC titles continued in 2016 with its seventh straight and another NCAA tournament appearance. The Bison recorded a 21-16 record and 11-2 mark in NEAC play. GU cleaned up on the All-NEAC awards as junior outside hitter Darriyan Thomas was named NEAC Player of the Year and landed on the first team. Adele Daniels joined Thomas on the first team and picked up the NEAC Rookie of the Year award. Gallaudet had two other selections on the all-conference teams. Thomas went on to be honored by the AVCA as an All-America honorable menton after being picked for the all-region team. 

GU won its sixth straight NEAC championship in 2015 as the Bison posted a 10-2 conference mark and 23-13 record overall. The Bison advanced to the NCAA tournament for a sixth consecutive year and faced Stockton University in the first round. Gallaudet had three players land on the all-conference team. Senior setter TraciAnn Hoglind was named an honorable mention selection to the Northeast Region for the 2015 AVCA Division III All-Region teams. 

The Bison won their fifth straight NEAC championship in 2014 as GU went 11-1 in conference play and hosted the NEAC tournament for a third straight year. GU defeated Penn St.-Berks in straight sets to advance to a fifth consecutive NCAA tournament where the Bison traveled to Christopher Newport and faced the ninth-ranked Captains and lost, 3-0. Senior Kali Frowick was named an AVCA All-American honorable mention and all-region first team honoree. Frowick was named the 2014 NEAC Player of the Year and made her fourth straight appearance on the all-conference first team. GU had four All-NEAC honors.

At the 2014 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Convention, Boren received the USA Volleyball Rebecca B. Howard Star Award for his part in positively impacting diversity in the sport of volleyball. The Rebecca B. Howard Star Award was initiated by the Diversity Commission to identify and recognize groups and individuals who demonstrate a successful commitment to diversity in volleyball.

In 2013, Gallaudet won its fourth consecutive NEAC championship and first round NCAA tournament appearance. Senior Lane Peters and junior Kali Frowick were named the All-NEAC first team and sophomore TraciAnn Hoglind was named to the second team. The Bison had an overall record of 23-14 and went 9-1 in NEAC play.

Boren led the Bison to a third consecutive NEAC championship followed by another first round NCAA tournament appearance in 2012. Junior Lane Peters was named the NEAC tournament MVP. Seniors Ann Whited and Jessica Israel were chosen as the 2012 NEAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. The Bison had an overall record of 31-7 and finished 11-0 in conference play. Boren was named the 2012 NEAC Coach of the Year. Boren also reached his 200th career win as head coach for Gallaudet.

In the 2011 season, the Bison repeated as NEAC champions and advanced to the NCAA tournament where they met Salisbury University in Newport News, Va., and lost 3-1. GU had four all-conference players including freshmen Kali Frowick and Sarah Tubert on the first team and juniors Jessica Israel and Ann Whited on the second team. Frowick earned the conference's first-ever Rookie of the Year honor. Frowick and Tubert were later named 2011 ECAC Division III Upstate/Metro Volleyball Second Team All-Stars. Israel was honored by the AVCA as an All-Region honorable mention honoree.

In 2010, Boren guided the Bison to its first-ever NEAC championship in the first year in the conference. Gallaudet earned an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament where they went up against No. 5 ranked Christopher Newport University in the first round and lost 3-0. Four players earned all-conference honors including Paige Johnson, Jessica Israel, Ann Whited and Mari Klassen. Johnson was named the 2010 NEAC South Division Player of the Year and took home conference tournament MVP honors.

Boren led teams earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for 10 years straight years (2007-16). He also holds a CAP II certificate from the USAV.

In 2009, Boren coached the Bison to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Region championship as the Buff and Blue posted a 27-14 record and finished as runners-up in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) championship. Three senior players in Shana Lehmann, Justine Jeter and Amanda Krieger earned all-conference honors for the Bison to increase the total to 14 in Boren's tenure. He has also coached two CAC Players of the Year in Charity Sanders (2005) and Tamijo Foronda (2006).

Boren led Gallaudet to back-to-back CAC championships and NCAA tournament appearances during his first two seasons in 2005 and '06. The conference championships were later vacated. The 2006 team advanced to the Sweet 16 round as the Bison won their first two NCAA tournament games and finished with a 30-10 record.

Prior to coaching the GU volleyball program, Boren spent nine years coaching at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, including seven years as head coach where he won 217 games and four national championships. Boren graduated from Gallaudet with a bachelor's degree in 1996 and received his master's degree from McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College) in 1999.

Boren has received two distinctive awards from two of his Alma Maters. He was selected to be inducted into the Texas School for the Deaf Alumni Association Hall of Fame and receive the 2010 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award presented by the Gallaudet University Alumni Association.

Boren was selected to the Texas School for the Deaf Alumni Association's Hall of Fame for its sports category. He played four sports at the Texas School for the Deaf including football, baseball, basketball and tennis and was on three national championship teams between 1988 and 1989. Boren was the 1989 Class Salutatorian before he attended Gallaudet University as a student.

The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award is presented to a Gallaudet alumnus who has graduated from or left the University within the past 15 years. It is awarded by a vote of the GUAA Board to an individual who has performed an impressive service to the University and/or the Deaf Community, or for bringing favorable recognition to the University through some notable achievement.

Boren also had strong international coaching and playing experience. He was named USA Deaf Women's Volleyball Head Coach for a fourth time in the summer of 2022. He led Team USA to a silver medal in the 2009 Deaflympics (Taipei, Taiwan) and a bronze medal at the 2017 Deaflympics (Samsun, Turkey). He was also a competitive handball player as he participated in three Deaflympics as a player in 1993, '97 and 2001 as he won a bronze medal with the last two teams. In 2005, he coached the USA Deaf Handball team to a silver medal in Australia. In 2008, Boren led the 2008 US National Team to a bronze medal in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the Deaf World Volleyball Championships. In August 2012, Boren coached the USA Deaf Volleyball team to a silver medal at the 2nd annual World Deaf Volleyball Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. In 2016, Boren led Team USA to the gold medal at the World Deaf Volleyball Championships hosted by Gallaudet University and won the PanAm championship. In 2019, Boren again led Team USA to the gold medal at the PanAm championship in Brasilia, Brazil. 

Lynn Ray was appointed as the Executive Director for the USA Deaf Volleyball in September, 2022, responsible for all indoor and beach teams and youth programs. 

He was also the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Deaf Elite Girls' Volleyball Camp, a prestigious volleyball development program that operated for 21 years.

Boren expects his players to do as well off the court as they do on the court. "Student-athletes should live their dreams everyday. To accomplish this, I encourage student-athletes to develop a strong sense of confidence and to believe in themselves. This establishes the foundation which empowers them to develop a goal attainment plan and achieve their dreams."

Boren and his wife Touria Ouahid Boren, a GU Athletics Hall of Fame member, have two sons, Keanu and Denali, and reside in Frederick, Md.

Why Gallaudet? "As a Gallaudet alumni, I am always proud to coach this team. As a Gallaudet coach my job is to push student-athletes both physically and mentally in hopes that they will produce their best effort each and every day. This establishes the foundation which empowers them to develop a goal attainment plan and achieve their dreams. Student-athletes should live their dreams every day."

COACH BOREN'S RECORD AT GALLAUDET

* - Conference championships, 2005 NCAA tournament results later vacated 

BOREN IN THE NEWS

• 10/09/21  Coach Boren records 350th career win as GU begins United East play with two victories
• 10/06/20  Gallaudet athletics salutes its coaches on National Coaches Day
• 07/03/20  GU women's volleyball partners with Transformative Deaf Education to raise funds and make an impact
• 12/17/19  USA Deaf Volleyball wins gold at 2019 Pan American Regional Qualification in Brazil
• 07/07/19  Gallaudet's Lynn Ray Boren tabbed as USA Deaf Women's Volleyball Head Coach once more
• 09/23/17  Coach Lynn Ray Boren earns his 300th career win at Gallaudet as Bison sweep Bryn Athyn
• 09/15/17  Bison athletic staffers receive University Service Awards
• 08/11/17  Gallaudet's Coach Boren, players and alumni lead Team USA to bronze at 2017 Deaflympics in Samsun, Turkey
• 07/16/16  Gallaudet's Boren leads Team USA to gold at 2016 World Deaf and PanAm volleyball championships
• 03/04/16  Former Bison to represent Team USA at World Deaf Championships and PanAm games
• 09/05/15  Boren wins 250th career match as Bison complete 4-0 weekend
• 06/04/15  USA Deaf Volleyball selects Lynn Ray Boren to lead women's national team in 2017 Deaflympics
• 04/30/14  Gallaudet's Lynn Ray Boren to receive USA Volleyball's Rebecaa B. Howard Star Award
• 07/17/13  Gallaudet athletics will be well represented at 2013 Summer Deaflympics in Bulgaria
• 11/01/12  Gallaudet places four on All-NEAC women's volleyball first team, sweep Player, Coach and Defensive Player of the Year awards
• 10/23/12  Coach Boren wins 200th career match at Gallaudet as Bison defeat Catholic
• 11/07/10  Boren named USA Deaf Volleyball head coach, Bison well-represented on rosters
• 09/10/10  Coach Boren elevated to Assistant Athletic Director
• 05/17/10  Lynn Ray Boren receives GUAA Young Alumnus award
• 12/14/09  GU volleyball coach Lynn Ray Boren recognized by his Alma Maters
• 08/15/08  Coach Boren and USA Deaf National Team bring home the bronze