Chris Tamas - Assistant Coach - Women's Volleyball Coaches

Chris Tamas

Title:
Assistant Coach

Also the Cal Poly volleyball program’s recruiting coordinator, assistant coach Chris Tamas is in his second season with the Mustangs.

Tamas’ influence on the Mustang program was felt immediately as Cal Poly’s 2013 squad posted an eight-win improvement from the previous year while tripling the program’s 2012 victory total.

During the summer of 2014, Tamas helped compile PrepVolleyball.com’s 23rd-ranked recruiting class. The seven-player freshman class will debut for the Mustangs this fall.

“Chris has brought a tremendous amount of experience to our program having competed at the highest level as a coach and player,” third-year Mustang head coach Sam Crosson said. “He has the motivation, dedication and a knowledge of the game that has had a significant impact on our program.

“Having had the opportunity to coach Chris throughout his collegiate career and watch his development, I’m fully aware of his principles, values and desire for excellence. His core values match that of the Mustang Way.”

While an assistant coach at Minnesota (2011-12), Tamas helped lead the Golden Gophers to an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance in 2011 and an Elite Eight showing in 2012. In addition to scouting, Tamas was tasked with training Minnesota’s setters and the Golden Gophers finished the 2012 season with the Big Ten Conference’s top offense and ranked eighth nationally in kills per set. With Minnesota, Tamas worked under Hugh McCutcheon, who directed the United States Men’s National Team to a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the U.S. women’s team to a silver medal in 2012.

Prior to his time with Minnesota, Tamas spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons at UC Riverside under 2008 Olympic assistant coach Ron Larsen. With the Highlanders, Tamas was charged with recruiting duties, training setters and compiling scouting reports.

A 2003 graduate of Pacific with a degree in sports sciences, Tamas was a four-year starter (2000-03) playing under Crosson (an assistant at the time). A unanimous AVCA All-America first team selection and team Most Valuable Player honoree during his 2003 senior season, Tamas remains first in program history in assists (5,086), third in assists per set (13.46), fourth in service aces (84), 10th in digs (498) and 14th in total bocks (221).

“Having played for Sam, I know he has the drive and coaching ability to make Cal Poly one of the top programs in the country,” said Tamas, who also ranks fifth in Pacific history with 378 sets played. “On top of that, my wife and I have lived and traveled all over the world and the central coast is truly one of the most beautiful areas that we have been to.”

In four years with the United States Men’s National Team (1999, 2003, 2005-06), Tamas made 34 appearances and, in 1999, helped the squad to a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Havana. As national team captain in 2003, Tamas helped lead the United States to a bronze medal at the World University Games in Daegu, South Korea.

A training camp invitee for the United States squad that eventually captured the 2008 Olympic gold medal, Tamas also helped U.S. sides to silver at the 2005 World Grand Champions Cup in Japan and, as a setter, to a gold at the 2006 NORCECA Championships in Mexicali, Mexico.

As a professional, Tamas competed for six years overseas with clubs Protect Eye Orion (Netherlands), Antigos Alunos (Portugal), Real Grupo (Spain), Erdemir (Turkey), Dionysos (Cyprus) and Isku (Finland). In Finland and Cyprus, Tamas helped his clubs to national cup championships.

A native of Santa Barbara, Tamas is married to Jennifer (Joines) Tamas, a four-time All-American middle blocker at Pacific (2000-03) and silver medalist with the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics.