Campus salutes national champions
UCI’s men’s volleyball team was saluted by the campus community for winning its second NCAA national championship in three years.
UC Irvine hosted a campus celebration May 20 at the Student Center to honor the men’s volleyball team’s 2009 NCAA championship. The Anteaters defeated USC in a five-game match May 9 in Provo, Utah.
Head Coach John Speraw and team members Nick Spittle and Taylor Wilson thanked the crowd of approximately 500 for their support during the season, and especially the post-season. “Your support here and at our matches makes a difference,” Speraw said. “You have an impact in our success.”
The team presented autographed volleyballs and commemorative T-shirts to Chancellor Michael Drake and Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost Michael Gottfredson. The celebration concluded with the opportunity for those in attendance to meet the athletes, obtain autographs and take photographs with the national championship trophy.
It is the team’s second NCAA championship in the last three years and the university’s 26th national championship overall.