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UCI Men’s Volleyball Coach John Speraw Joins Merage Alumni Network
on June 5th At the 1st Friday Alumni Network Luncheon held
at Karl Strauss Brewery in Costa Mesa:
 The Merage Alumni were joined by UCI Men’s Volleyball Coach John Speraw at their recent 1st Friday Central OC Luncheon. Speraw, leading his team to its second National Championship by defeating USC on Saturday, May 9th was delighted to share some of his favorite back stories and coaching philosophies with alumni lunch rep Kyle van Hoften (MBA 1997) and the group of Merage Alumni. Coach Speraw recounted his memories of having played and coached volleyball at UCLA, “when playing against UC Irvine meant simply a drive down the freeway, beat them in an hour, and hang out in the Newport Beach for the day.”
UCI Irvine Men’s Volleyball, crowned National Champion in 2007 and 2009 – has proven that the tide has now turned. According to Coach Speraw, “This shows that 2007 wasn’t just lightning striking.” “Any program can win one championship with the right recruiting class, a couple of transfers and a few breaks in the playoffs. To get to three national championships and win two of them shows we have something special here!”
 Speraw touched on the key components central to his coaching philosophy and expected from all of his players, both on and off the court: Value Driven Success which includes 4 Pillars of Responsibility.
Speraw looks forward to continuing to raise the bar for the future of UC Irvine Men’s Volleyball. Plans are currently underway to bring the World Challenge to UC Irvine on October 5-10, which is something that’s never been done -- bringing high level professional/Olympic level volleyball to Orange County to play the UCI Men’s Volleyball team. Not only will this better prepare the team for their upcoming season, it will offer an added revenue source for the UCI Athletic Department. The team is currently seeking corporate sponsorships in exchange for TV exposure for the tournament. If interested, contact John Speraw at (310) 266-8104.
Joining Kyle van Hoften on June 5th were:
Andy Batcheller (FEMBA 1995), Lee Beard (MBA 1998), Kevin Bixby (MBA 1989), newlywed Camille Seifert Gaffney (FEMBA 2006), John Gibson (FEMBA 2001), Lee Green (FEMBA 1998), Eric Hall (FEMBA 1998), Jem Nguyen (MBA 2001), David Ochi (MBA 1999), Tony Padilla (EMBA 1987), Kevin Romito (FEMBA 2004), and Rick Wang (FEMBA 2001).
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