Mike Brienza joins Mercy in August of 2026 from Post University where he worked for the last 19 years. Brienza served as Associate Athletic Director at Post from 2022-2026 and Assistant Athletic Director from 2015-2022. He served as a Contest Manager from 2007-2026 and was Post’s Head Women’s Volleyball Coach from 2007-2021. Brienza also was an Assistant Softball Coach at Post from 2011-2026.
While at Post, Brienza was a key member of the senior athletic leadership team, overseeing daily operations for 18 varsity programs with 430 student-athletes. He helped lead departmental initiatives focused on long-term growth, facility improvements and directly supervised multiple sport programs. Brienza created and executed fundraising initiatives to enhance scholarship opportunities and facility upgrades. He was also selected as a member of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee for women’s volleyball and men’s soccer.
Brienza spearheaded the end-to-end setup and execution of all home athletic contests at Post, ensuring a professional and seamless gameday experience across all teams. He coordinated venue preparation, technical requirements, and the scheduling of gameday staff, officials and external vendors, including hosting large scale events such as conference championships and NCAA Tournament games. Brienza also was responsible for over 35 student-athlete employees a year as a part of the work study program at Post.
During his tenure as Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at Post, Brienza transformed the program into a competitive force, resulting in back-to-back CACC Conference Championships in 2014 and 2015. He also led Post to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2014-16, producing two All-Americans while maintaining a team GPA above 3.5.
Prior to his time at Post, Brienza served as Head Girl’s Volleyball Coach at Jonathan Law High School in Connecticut. He led the team to the SWC Championship title in 2003, SCC Division Championship titles in 2004 and 2005 and the SCC Championship title in 2006. Brienza was named Coach of the Year by the Connecticut Post and New Haven Register in 1999 and 2003. Brienza was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Volleyball Hall of Fame for Coaching in 2017.
Brienza earned a bachelor's degree in Sports Management from Post University. He currently resides in Waterbury, Connecticut.
