Chatham University Athletics

Joseph Bortak, a Jeannette, Pa. native, is heading into his 8th season as the head coach of the women's Volleyball program. Bortak also began the men’s volleyball program at Chatham and is entering his 3rd season with the team in 2025/2026.
During his time at Chatham with the women's program, Bortak has coached 14 different All-Conference recipients, 1 Rookie of the Year, coached the program to become regular season PAC champions (9-1) and led the Cougars to their first-ever home championship match in 2023, receiving PAC Coach of the Year honors in the same season. Bortak has led the Cougars to at least a semi-final appearance in each of the last 4 seasons of Presidents Athletic Conference play.

Bortak played on the Juniata College men's volleyball team where he was a four-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American selection, including three First Team nods. Bortak was the first player in school history to be named on the All-Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) team all four years of undergraduate. Additionally, he was named on the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Star team multiple times. As a junior, Bortak helped Juniata win the CVC Championship and advance to the NCAA Division III national championships. In the same year, Bortak ranked second nationally and led the conference with a .439 hitting percentage and ranked 20th nationally in blocks per set (1.00). Bortak was named the CVC Freshman of the Year in his first year. He currently is the program leader in total blocks with 430.
Bortak has played in multiple tournaments, including ones in Puerto Rico and Brazil, and is currently playing in the Volleyball Leage of America, the Unites State’s first semi-professional league. In June 2025, Coach Bortak spent two weeks in Brazil coaching USA’s Division III All-Star team in the cities of Sao Paulo, Jundai, and Rio de Janeiro.

Bortak earned his Bachelor of Science in Education from Juniata and is working toward a Masters of Education at Westminster. 

The Bortak Files

Men's Volleyball