UC Irvine’s Speraw adds duties

UC Irvine men’s volleyball coach John Speraw will serve as an assistant coach for the U.S. men’s national team, USA Volleyball announced Thursday.

Speraw will continue to coach the No. 2-ranked Anteaters the rest of the season before joining the Anaheim-based national team this summer.

UCI assistants Mark Presho and David Kniffin will help with recruiting and other duties this summer before Speraw returns in the winter.

“Obviously, I’m pretty excited,” Speraw said in a statement. “I will learn so much from [U.S. men’s head coach] Hugh McCutcheon and [U.S. men’s assistant] Ron Larsen and seeing that high level of volleyball.”

Speraw has gained international experience as head coach of the 2005 U.S. junior national team, which won a silver medal at the NORCECA Junior Men’s Continental Volleyball Championship in 2005. He served as an assistant coach for the U.S. youth national teams in 1998 and 2001, for the men’s teams at the World University Games team in 1997 and 1999 and for the men’s Pan American Games team in 1999.

“John and I have worked together in past on a number of occasions,” McCutcheon said. “I think he’s a very good coach and a guy that can really add some value to our program. His background as a player is at middle blocker. I’d like to keep him involved with blocking and defense. However he will be involved with all aspects of the team.”

Speraw, in his fifth season at UCI, was named 2006 American Volleyball Coaches Assn. National Coach of the Year as well as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year following the Anteaters’ most successful season in school history.

UC Irvine rewrote its men’s volleyball record book in 2006 starting with a school-best 27-5 record. The Anteaters claimed their first MPSF regular-season title, finishing with a 20-2 conference record.

This year, the Anteaters are 22-4, 15-4 in conference heading into tonight’s MPSF match at UCLA.

Prior to UCI, Speraw served in various roles with the UCLA volleyball program for 12 years. He played middle blocker for the Bruins from 1990-95 and was a member of two national championship teams.

He was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team in 1995 when he had 11 kills and eight blocks in the championship victory over Penn State.

Speraw became a volunteer assistant coach with the Bruins before assuming a full-time assistant’s position in 1998. He graduated from UCLA in 1995 with a bachelor of science degree in microbiology and molecular genetics.