Olympics
September 25, 2024
Except he hires himself, which he gained’t, after all, USA Volleyball wants a brand new head males’s national-team coach.
For that matter, UCLA additionally wants a males’s coach, as a result of John Speraw is the brand new CEO of USA Volleyball.
Speraw, the USA Olympic coach for the previous three Video games, most lately took his workforce to the bronze medal in Paris. Simply two months earlier than that, his UCLA workforce repeated as NCAA champion.
“It was a very easy alternative with John, given his 35-plus years with USA Volleyball and different organizations,” stated Dave Gentile, USA Volleyball board chair. “He’s going to hit the bottom operating with that sort of expertise base and particularly his data of the worldwide scene, the nationwide scene within the U.S., in addition to how USA Volleyball operates.”
Speraw, an NCAA champion at UCLA beneath legendary coach Al Scates, later grew to become his assistant. As a head coach, Speraw gained three NCAA titles at UC Irvine earlier than changing Scates when he retired after 50 years in 2012. At UCLA, Speraw’s groups misplaced within the 2018 and 2022 NCAA finals earlier than successful it all of the previous two years.
(Speraw’s full biography from the UCLA web site follows).
Speraw replaces Jamie Davis, who introduced earlier this yr that he wouldn’t be again after the Paris Olympics. Earlier Monday, we had a Q&A with Davis, who’s changing into the CEO of USA Water Polo.
“My journey with USA Volleyball started in 1997 as an assistant coach for the World College Video games workforce,” Speraw stated in a USA Volleyball information launch. “Reflecting on the groups, gamers, workers and experiences through the years, I’m full of immense gratitude. To now be entrusted with the chance to guide USA Volleyball as president and CEO is each a profound honor and deeply humbling.
“This journey has deepened my ardour for this group—representing our nation, advancing the game, and elevating the expertise for everybody concerned.
“I’m sincerely grateful to the USA Volleyball Board of Administrators for this honor and accountability. I’m prepared to guide. I’m able to serve.”
Speraw can be the founding father of First Level Volleyball, a company devoted to supporting the expansion of boys and males’s volleyball.
“I’ve to inform you that he was signifcant in his imaginative and prescient for the longer term,” Gentile added. “Our expectation as a board has been to take us to the subsequent technology of USA Volleyball in addition to what the (nationwide governing physique) has to do as a sport. He hit all the fitting examine marks for us and his presentation, his type, his strategy, his imaginative and prescient, his demeanor all hit the mark for us.”
Gentile stated USA Volleyball not solely has its deal with the subsequent Olympics, that are in Los Angeles in 2028, however forward to Brisbane in 2032.
“Beginning now along with his management we’ll be on prime of the L.A. 2028 scenario and plan past that,” Gentile stated.
From the UCLA web site:
UCLA head males’s volleyball coach John Speraw, who has produced 5 NCAA titles and two Olympic Bronze medal finishes as a head coach, has accomplished 12 seasons on the helm of his alma mater in Westwood. Throughout his collegiate teaching profession he has been acknowledged because the American Volleyball Coaches Affiliation (AVCA) Coach of the Yr, the Mountain Pacific Sports activities Federation (MPSF) Coach of the Yr and the Volleyball Journal Coach of the Yr whereas teaching 58 All-People. Speraw has helped information UCLA to as excessive as No. 2 within the American Volleyball Coaches Affiliation (AVCA) polls in eight of the previous 9 seasons with the Bruins elevating to the highest spot within the AVCA nationwide rankings in some unspecified time in the future throughout the 2024, 2023, 2022, 2016 and 2014 seasons.
This previous season, Speraw guided his Bruins to a second-straight NCAA males’s volleyball title. It marked UCLA’s first back-to-back NCAA males’s volleyball crowns for the reason that 1995 and 1996 campaigns and the primary time UCLA had put collectively three straight 20-win seasons for the reason that 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons. It was a training milestone for Speraw who reached the 20-win mark in three straight seasons for the preliminary time in his collegiate profession.
In 2023, Speraw was named the AVCA Coach of the Yr for the second time in his profession. In 2018, he was inducted into the Southern California Indoor Volleyball Affiliation Corridor of Fame. He additionally serves because the volunteer chairman of First Level Volleyball Basis with the purpose to develop the variety of alternatives, at each stage, for males and boys to play the game of volleyball.
Speraw was the primary particular person to win an NCAA MVB championship as a head coach (2007, 2009 and 2012 at UC Irvine; 2023 and 2024 at UCLA), an assistant coach (1996, 1998, 2000 at UCLA) and as a participant (1993 and 1995 at UCLA). He has guided the Bruins to the NCAA Championship in 2024 and 2023, the NCAA Semifinals in 2022, the Nationwide Championship match in 2018 and the NCAA Semifinals in 2016.
In 2024, UCLA secured the twenty first NCAA title in this system’s historical past and the second beneath Speraw. It marked the primary back-to-back nationwide championships by this system for the reason that 1995 and 1996 seasons. The Bruins additionally captured their third straight common season MPSF crown. 5 Bruins have been acknowledged as AVCA All-America choices with Ethan Champlin, who was named Most Excellent Participant of the NCAA Event, and Merrick McHenry, who hit a faculty report .585 throughout the season, receiving first-team accolades for the third straight season. Setter Andrew Rowan, who directed UCLA’s offense to the highest hitting share within the nation, was a first-team All-A choose for the second straight season. Grant Sloane and Cooper Robinson have been honorable point out choices.
In 2023, the Bruins captured this system’s twentieth NCAA title and the primary beneath Speraw, the AVCA Coach of the Yr. The 31 wins on the season have been probably the most by a Bruin workforce for the reason that 1995 championship squad went 31-1. UCLA’s 3-0 win over Lengthy Seashore within the NCAA Semifinals marked the twenty first sweep of the season, probably the most for the reason that 1995 workforce set a faculty report with 25.
The Bruins secured their first MPSF Event title since 2006 after going unbeaten in league regular-season motion for the primary time since 1995. Coach Speraw achieved total teaching victory No. 400 and UCLA teaching win No. 200 throughout the 2023 season in matches towards UCI. A program-best seven Bruins earned ‘23 AVCA All-America honors. UCLA led the nation blocks (2.80), set assists (12.64) in addition to in hitting share (.382) for the second straight season. Ryan Millar Award winner Merrick McHenry paced the nation with a .526 assault share. Ethan Champlin, Ido David, Andrew Rowan joined McHenry on the AVCA first-team All-America Group. Rowan, the AVCA Newcomer of the Yr, topped all MPSF gamers with 50 aces. Exterior hitter Alex Knight, a second-team All-America choose, was the NCAA Event’s Most Excellent Participant. Man Genis and Troy Gooch have been honorable point out All-A choices.
In 2022, the Bruins led the nation in hitting share (.374) whereas advancing to the semifinal spherical of the NCAA Males’s Volleyball Event. UCLA posted its most wins, 22, since 2018 and its fewest losses in a season, 5, since 2000. Setter Miles Partain grew to become UCLA’s first MPSF Participant of the Yr since 2000 and led a bunch of three first-team AVCA All-America choices — additionally Champlin and McHenry. The Bruins returned to the No. 1 spot within the AVCA ballot for a nine-week run which was its longest stretch on prime since a 13-week keep in 1995. UCLA closed out the MPSF common season atop the league standings with an 11-1 report.
Speraw achieved milestone wins No. 100 at UCLA and No. 300 total throughout 2018. As well as, he led UCLA to the NCAA Championship match and to probably the most program wins (26) on the time since 2006. VolleyballMag.com acknowledged these achievements by naming Speraw its 2018 Coach of the Yr.
Voted the 2006 AVCA Coach of the Yr, Speraw was named head coach at UCLA in June of 2012. He got here to UCLA from UC Irvine the place he led the Anteaters to 3 NCAA titles, two Mountain Pacific Sports activities Federation (MPSF) common season titles (2006, 2009) and a pair of MPSF Event crowns (2007, 2012). He guided UCI to a 199-106 report in his ten seasons and had the Anteaters ranked as excessive as No. 1 within the nation in 5 completely different seasons.
Speraw has additionally loved an intensive teaching resume with the U.S. Males’s Nationwide workforce. After serving as Assistant Coach for the 2008 (Gold in Beijing) and 2012 Olympic Video games (superior to the quarterfinals at London), Speraw was elevated to go coach of the U.S. Males’s Volleyball Nationwide Group in March of 2013. The U.S. certified for the 2016 Olympic Video games by successful the 2015 World Cup competitors and went on to seize the Bronze medal on the Rio Video games. In the summertime of 2018, Speraw directed the U.S. Males’s Nationwide Group to its first FIVB World Championship medal in 24 years when it beat Serbia for the bronze in Turin, Italy. In December of 2021, he signed on to stay because the U.S. Nationwide Group coach via the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The U.S. males certified for the 2024 Paris Recreation by successful the FIVB Qualifying Event in the summertime of 2023. Bruins Garrett Muagututia (2007-10 at UCLA) and Micah Ma’a (2016-19) have been chosen to put on the pink, white and blue for the Paris Olympic workforce. The U.S. certified for the 2020 Tokyo Video games (held in 2021 because of the pandemic) by successful their Intercontinental Qualifying Pool throughout the summer time of 2019. Bruins Ma’a, Mitch Stahl (2014-17) and Muagututia represented their nation in that competitors and have been additionally a part of the U.S. silver and bronze medal-winning efforts on the FIVB Volleyball Nations League and FIVB World Cup, respectively. Stahl and Muagututia went on to see motion for the U.S. in Tokyo.
The Bruin grad was named UCLA’s head coach on June 5, 2012. Speraw assumed the duties of his collegiate mentor, Al Scates, and has been part of 9 NCAA males’s volleyball championship groups (1993-player; 1995-player;1996-asst. coach; 1998-asst. coach; 2000-asst. coach; 2007-head coach; 2009-head coach; 2012-head coach; 2023-head coach).
Speraw’s 2021 UCLA workforce completed with a 15-6 mark and positioned second within the MPSF. The assault was led by honorable point out All-America choices Cole Ketrzynski, Merrick McHenry and Sam Kobrine. Ethan Champlin was named a Freshman All-America choice. Ketrzynski ranked among the many prime 10 nationally in aces (0.49) and factors per set (4.8). McHenry’s .423 hitting share was twelfth within the nation. The Bruin workforce ranked among the many nation’s prime 5 in set assists (2nd-12.5), kills (Third-13.3), aces (Fifth-1.6) and hitting share (Fifth-.330).
In 2020, UCLA accomplished the virus-shortened marketing campaign with a 10-9 mark. Daenan Gyimah earned first-team AVCA All-America honors for the third time and was chosen the winner of the Ryan Millar Award because the nation’s prime center attacker for a 3rd straight season. Setter Mads Kyed Jensen ranked fourth nationally in aces (0.60) and was a finalist for the Nationwide Server of the Yr award. The Bruin workforce rated third within the nation in service aces (1.9). Kyed Jensen and Ketrzynski have been every picked to the Off the Block Freshman All-America workforce.
In 2019, the Bruins utilized 13 completely different beginning lineups, whereas battling accidents, to complete second within the MPSF standings. Setter Micah Ma’a grew to become the all-time faculty chief in service aces whereas setting a single-season report with 64 aces. Ma’a and Gyimah every earned first-team AVCA All-America honors for the second straight season. Gyimah gained the Ryan Millar Award because the nation’s prime center attacker. Ma’a was named Nationwide Co-Server of the Yr.
In 2018, Speraw was named the VolleyballMag.com Males’s School Coach of the Yr after main his workforce into the NCAA Championship match. UCLA completed 26-8, recording probably the most wins by this system on the time for the reason that 2006 championship marketing campaign. The Bruins, who completed second within the MPSF, avenged a loss within the league championship contest at BYU by sending the No. 2-seeded Cougars dwelling in an NCAA Semifinal match. Earlier in 2018, he secured a pair of milestone victories together with his a hundredth win at UCLA (vs. Penn St.) and his three hundredth profession win as a head coach (vs. Ohio State). The 14-1 begin to the season was one of the best by a Bruin workforce for the reason that 2005 squad opened with wins in 15 of its first 16 matches. UCLA earned the No. 2 spot within the last AVCA Coaches ballot. Ma’a and Gyimah, who was named winner of the Ryan Millar Award because the nation’s prime center attacker, every merited first-team All-America honors.
In a streaky 2017 marketing campaign, Jake Arnitz and Mitch Stahl went on to earn first-team All-MPSF honors. Arnitz was a second-team AVCA All-America choose for the second straight season. The squad ranked within the prime 4 within the nation in hitting share, kills, set assists and repair aces. Nonetheless, UCLA couldn’t discover consistency round a pair of seven-match win streaks throughout the season and completed fifth within the MPSF.
The 2016 season noticed UCLA return to the NCAA Event for the primary time because it had captured the nineteenth nationwide title in this system’s historical past in 2006. The 25 wins have been probably the most since that very same season and the Bruins, who tied for second within the league throughout the common season, superior to the championship match of the MPSF Event and the nationwide semifinals. Ma’a earned first-team AVCA All-America honors and Arnitz and Stahl have been second-team choices. UCLA spent 4 weeks at primary within the polls throughout the season. The ten-0 begin to the season was one of the best since 1998. The Bruins ranked among the many nation’s High 10 in aces, blocks, kills, set assists and hitting share.
In 2015, Speraw guided a Bruin workforce which featured 4 freshman starters. JT Hatch earned MPSF Freshman of the Yr honors and second-team All-MPSF accolades. He was joined on the All-MPSF Freshman workforce by Arnitz. Trent Kersten posted the ninth-best hitting share mark within the NCAA.
In 2014, Speraw’s Bruins peaked at No. 1 within the AVCA ballot after successful the Outrigger Lodges Invitational and defeating then top-ranked Stanford. Accidents led to a number of lineup changes over the steadiness of the season and the workforce tied for fifth within the MPSF. Late victories down the stretch over Lengthy Seashore and BYU helped rally the workforce for post-season. Nonetheless, the Bruins dropped a hard-fought five-setter at UC Santa Barbara within the opening spherical of the league match. Three gamers earned AVCA All-America recognition – Gonzalo Quiroga – 1st workforce; Spencer Rowe and Robart Web page – Honorable Point out. Rowe repeated as a Capital One third-team Tutorial All-America choice.
In 2013, Speraw gained his 2 hundredth profession collegiate match, defeating UCSB on Jan. 4, 2013 in his first common season match as coach at UCLA. Speraw guided the Bruins to a 21-11 total report and a fourth-place end within the rugged MPSF. Group accomplishments included a match championship on the Outrigger Lodges Invitational, league sweeps over rivals USC and Pepperdine and a first-round MPSF playoff victory — the Bruins’ first since 2006. Individually, UCLA produced a pair of AVCA All-People in first-team choice Quiroga and second-team selections Rowe and Evan Mottram. The three gamers additionally earned All-MPSF honors. As well as, Rowe grew to become the primary UCLA males’s volleyball participant in 13 years to earn CoSIDA Tutorial All-America honors.
In the summertime of 2014, Coach Speraw guided the U.S. males’s volleyball workforce to an upset win over top-ranked and three-time reigning World champion Brazil within the FIVB World League gold-medal match. Brazil had gained gold or silver at every of the earlier three Olympics. The U.S. completed with an total report of 6-4, together with three wins over groups ranked among the many prime six on the earth.
Previous to his appointment because the U.S. head coach, Speraw loved all kinds of expertise and success on the worldwide stage, together with serving as an assistant coach with the U. S. Males’s Nationwide Group that captured the gold medal on the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In 2011, he was given the U.S. Olympic Achievement Award, an honor that acknowledges the universities and universities whose coaches and student-athletes have gained Olympic medals prior to now two Olympiads. Speraw additionally served as assistant coach to Alan Knipe for the 2012 U.S. Males’s Olympic Group, which completed fifth after successful its pool. Earlier that yr, he returned because the assistant coach for the FIVB World League and stuffed in as head coach for the 2012 World League workforce for 4 oversees pool play matches. The U.S. males gained the silver medal within the FIVB World League Closing Spherical.
Speraw joined the U.S. males’s workers in 2007, serving beneath Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon. After successful the gold medal, he labored with the U.S. males, as wanted, together with a stint as the top coach of a younger workforce that completed fifth on the 2011 Pan American Video games. In 2004, Speraw served as head coach of the U.S. Males’s Junior Nationwide Volleyball Group that took dwelling the silver medal on the NORCECA Males’s Junior (U-21) Continental Volleyball Championship to qualify for the 2005 Championships. He additionally served as an assistant for the U.S. Boys’ Youth Nationwide Group (1998 and 2001), the World College Video games Group (1997 and 1999) and the Pan American Video games Group (1999 and 2007).
Within the collegiate ranks, Speraw directed UC Irvine to a 26-5 mark and their third NCAA Championship in 2012 earlier than leaving to return to Westwood in June. In 2009, he guided UCI to a 27-5 total report and completed the yr ranked No. 1 within the nation with the college’s second NCAA title. In the course of the season, the Anteaters have been ranked No. 1 for eight weeks, probably the most of any workforce within the nation that season. UC Irvine additionally captured the MPSF common season crown that yr. In 2007, the Anteaters claimed their first nationwide title, successful its preliminary MPSF match championship whereas ending the yr with the No. 1 rating and registering a school-record 29 victories, a win whole that was one of the best amongst all NCAA Division I-II colleges that season.
Speraw was named 2006 AVCA Nationwide Coach of the Yr, in addition to, MPSF and Volleyball Journal Coach of the Yr. He was a finalist for Nationwide Coach of the Yr thrice whereas at UCI. In 2006, the Anteaters claimed their first-ever common season MPSF title, ending with a 20-2 league report. The workforce gained a school-record 21 consecutive matches to finish the common season and held the highest rating within the nation for eight consecutive weeks.
Speraw, who compiled a 199-106 (.652) total report at UC Irvine, mentored each the AVCA Division I-II Males’s Nationwide Participant of the Yr and the AVCA Division I-II Males’s Newcomer of the Yr in 2006 (Jayson Jablonsky). UC Irvine gamers earned All-America distinction 21 occasions throughout Speraw’s tenure at UCI, together with 9 first-teamers. Whereas at Irvine, Speraw’s gamers additionally captured MPSF Participant of the Yr, MPSF Freshman of the Yr, NCAA Championship MVP, NCAA All-Event Group, quite a few nationwide and convention Participant of the Week honors in addition to tutorial distinctions reminiscent of Tutorial All-American, MPSF & UCI Scholar-Athletes and Lauds & Laurels Athlete of the Yr. Speraw, who had a workforce ranked No. 1 in 5 completely different seasons at UCI, positioned the Anteaters within the High 10 of the ultimate rankings all however one yr whereas on the helm.
In 2008, he acquired a Pillar Award, which showcases excellent achievement in moral management on the twelfth Annual Ethics in America Awards. Speraw was additionally named to OC METRO Enterprise Journal’s 18th annual record of the Hottest 25 Enterprise Folks of Orange County and was tabbed No. 16 within the Day by day Pilot’s 2007 High 103 Most Influential Folks within the Newport/Costa Mesa Space. Speraw was on the Most Influential record his final 4 years at UCI, together with the Sports activities Newsmaker of the Yr in 2006.
Previous to his appointment at UC Irvine, Speraw was concerned with UCLA’s program for 12 years as a participant and assistant coach. He lettered 4 seasons as a center blocker, was a member of two NCAA championship groups (1993, 1995), and earned NCAA All-Event honors for the Bruins in 1995. As a senior in ’95, he began 29 matches because the Bruins rolled to a 31-1 report and swept Penn State for his or her fifteenth NCAA title. Within the last towards the Nittany Lions, Speraw hit .625 (11-1-16) with eight blocks. For the match, he hit .586 (18-1-29). In his four-year profession, Speraw produced at a .421 clip with 394 kills. He boasted a profession blocking common of 1.3 bpg.
After incomes his undergraduate diploma in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from UCLA in 1995, Speraw served three seasons (1996-98) as a volunteer assistant coach — whereas additionally working on the UCLA Hospital — earlier than being elevated to a full-time place in the summertime of 1998. He remained in that submit till taking the UC Irvine job in 2002. Total, he was concerned with 5 NCAA title groups (1993, 95, 96, 98 and 2000) throughout his enjoying and training tenure at UCLA. John and his spouse, Michelle, have two kids, Brooklyn and Hailey.
