St. Mary's assistant volleyball coach Gary Payne will enter his sixth season with the Rattlers.

Payne didn’t start playing the sport until his mid-20s, when some of his friends thought they could use his natural jumping ability in a sand match He quickly mastered everything else, becoming so enamored by the sport that he decided to become a coach.

And it he quickly put those skills to use at St. Mary's. Assisting head coach Jenny Warmack-Chipman, Payne helped revive the Lady Rattlers' volleyball program in 2010, leading St. Mary's to its first-ever NCAA regional-tournament berth on the heels of winning the Heartland Conference Tournament for the first time since 2000.

Last season, Payne assisted the Rattlers to the Heartland Conference Championship Tournament for the second straight year after posting an 11-14 overall record with an 8-8 mark in league play. The season saw libero Victorria Martinez become the program's all-time digs leader and earn Daktronics Second Team All-Region honors. Martinez also joined teammate Melissa Heft on the All-Heartland Conference First Team. 

In 2013, Payne helped the Rattlers to the Heartland Conference Championship Tournament after posting a 14-15 overall record and 10-8 conference record. The season once again saw stunning play from Martinez, who set the program's single-season digs per set record at 6.45, which ranked No. 4 in the nation, en route to earning an All-Conference selection and four Heartland Conference Libero of the Week awards. 

During his second season in 2011, the Rattlers achieved their first winning season since 2006 with a 17-13 mark. The Rattlers won their first 10 matches of the season, making it the best start in program history. Payne helped make Warmack-Chipman's 2011 season a winning one, improving their 15-18 record in 2010 to 17-13 in 2011. It also produced St. Mary's most efficient hitter, Stephanie Proske, who set the school's single-season mark for hitting percentage at .323.

Winning nine of their final 14 matches, the Rattlers posted a 15-18 mark in 2010. By qualifying for the NCAA Division II South Central Region tournament, St. Mary's advanced to the regional stage for the first time since doing so as a member of the NAIA in 1998.

As St. Mary's assistant coach, Payne focuses much of his time on recruiting, breaking down film, working with the outside hitters/right-side hitters, and teaching passing and defense.

Payne, a native of Chappell, Neb., joined the Rattlers' coaching staff after spending the past two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, a program that is consistently nationally ranked. Prior to that, he spent two years as the head coach at McCook Community College in McCook, Neb., and five years as an assistant at Weldon Valley School in Weldona, Colo. He has also coached club volleyball off and on for the previous 14 years.

As a player, the leftie played in the AVP Next, the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tours membership-based grassroots program, where he was a step away from turning pro in 2-on-2 grass competition.

Payne received both his bachlor of arts in education and masters of arts in education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Before embarking upon a career in volleyball, Payne spent "two years, nine months and 17 days" in the Army, including serving a tour in Iraq in 1991.