Anteaters’ Volk named region’s top assistant

Chris Volk, a member of George Kuntz’s men’s soccer staff at UC Irvine, has been named West Region Assistant Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Assn. of America.

Volk helped guide the Anteaters to a 15-2-6 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament round of 16, the school’s first NCAA Tournament. The team also collected the program’s first Big West Conference regular-season and tournament titles.

The Anteaters were ranked as high as No. 7 nationally and finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the Far West region. They won a second-round NCAA Tournament game against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, before being eliminated at St. John’s.

Volk, who completed his 12th season with the ’Eaters, is the lead assistant and goalkeeping coach. This season, UCI’s goalkeepers had six shutouts and freshman Andrew Fontein was named to three Freshman All-American teams under Volk’s tutelage.

Volk will be one of five finalists for the National Assistant Coach of the Year Award to be given out Jan. 16 at the annual NSCAA Awards Banquet in St. Louis.

— From staff reports