Speraw Named MPSF Men's Volleyball Coach of the Year
May 1, 2012
Head Coach John Speraw is in his 10th year at UC Irvine with a 197-106 overall record, guiding UCI to its fourth NCAA appearance in 2012. The Anteaters won their second MPSF Tournament Championship backed by a pair of five-set, come-from-behind wins in the conference semifinal and final.
UCI's 24 overall wins is the fourth most in school history, while the 17 MPSF wins were tied for third most. Lewis has a nation's best 26 wins with UCI and BYU following with 24.
UCI has been ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 all but two weeks this season. The Anteaters have been ranked No. 1 in five different years (2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012) under Speraw.
With UCI's first national championship in 2007, Speraw became the only individual to have won a title as a head coach, assistant coach and player.
Speraw is currently an assistant coach for the U.S. men's indoor volleyball team and was an assistant with the team that won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In March of 2011, Speraw received the U.S. Olympic Achievement Award, an honor that recognizes the colleges and universities whose coaches and student-athletes have won Olympic medals in the past two Olympic Games.
Speraw was named 2006 AVCA National Coach of the Year as well as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year. He has been a finalist for National Coach of the Year three times.
UC Irvine players have earned All-American distinction 21 times since Speraw arrived at UCI, including nine first-teamers. While at Irvine, Speraw's players have also garnered MPSF Player of the Year, MPSF Freshman of the Year, NCAA Championship MVP, NCAA All-Tournament Team, numerous national and conference Player of the Week honors as well as academic distinctions such as Academic All-American, MPSF & UCI Scholar-Athletes and Lauds & Laurels Athlete of the Year. Under Speraw's leadership, the men's volleyball team has had no fewer than five scholar-athletes each year.