Dipen Patel starts his third season as an assistant volleyball coach at UW-La Crosse in 2021. He also serves as UW-La Crosse's Coordinator of Camps/Clinics for Intercollegiate Athletics.
UWL went 16-14 overall and 2-5 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in 2019 with Emma Lawrence and Abbey Fox being named to the all-conference team. The Eagles finished 16-13 overall and 4-3 in the WIAC in 2018 as Marisa Johnson and Lawrence earned all-conference honors. Julia Van Fleet was selected to the 2018 All-WIAC Defensive Team.
He arrived at UWL after serving two years as a graduate assistant coach at Eastern Illinois University where he was responsible for scouting, developing game strategies, and assisting in recruiting. Patel was the head girls' volleyball coach at Mattoon (Ill.) High School in 2018, leading the team to a 28-9 varsity record and winning three tournament titles while advancing to the regional championship. He was also the head coach of Club 217 with a 32-12 record and top-30 finish at the AAU National Championships.
Earning his bachelor's degree in communication studies from San Francisco State University (Calif.) in 2017, Patel earned an associate's degree in communication studies from Diablo Valley College (Calif.) in 2015. He earned his master's degree in Kinesiology and sport studies from Eastern Illinois in 2019.
He served as head volleyball coach, administrative assistant and camp director at Pacific Rim Volleyball Academy in Pleasant Hill, California from 2012-17. Other coaching experience includes San Francisco State University (women's and men's club head coach, volunteer assistant women's varsity), Albany (Calif.) High School (varsity head coach) and College Park (Pleasant Hill, Calif.) High School (varsity assistant and head coach).
