Bruins Inducted into VB Hall of Fame

On Sunday night, six Bruins were included in the second induction class for the Southern California Indoor Volleyball Association Hall of Fame (SCIVBHOF). Ceremonies were held at Anaheim's Hwy 39 Event Center to honor current men's volleyball head coach John Speraw, past Olympians Steve Salmons, Larry Rundle, Liz Masakayan and Ernie Suwara and former UCLA two-time AIAW National Champion and assistant coach Nine Matthies.

Speraw, winner of three NCAA titles and a Bronze medal as a head coach, just completed his sixth season as head coach of the Bruin men's volleyball team. He is the first individual to earn an NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship as a head coach (2007, 2009, 2012 at UC Irvine), an assistant coach (1996, 1998, 2000 at UCLA) and as a player (1993, 1995 at UCLA). Speraw has also built an extensive coaching resume with the U.S. National Team. After serving as an assistant for the 2008 (Gold medal in Beijing) and 2012 Olympics (advanced to quarterfinals in London), Speraw was elevated to head coach of the U.S. Men's Volleyball National Team in March of 2013. His team qualified for the 2016 Olympics Games by winning the 2015 World Cup competition and went on to capture the Bronze medal at the Rio Games.

Salmons was a three-time All-American at UCLA who was selected the Player of the Year in 1978. In 1979, he was a member of the first undefeated volleyball team in NCAA history. In 1981, he earned All-NCAA Tournament honors while helping lead UCLA to its eighth NCAA title. He won the Olympic gold medal in 1984, the World Cup Championship in 1985 and the World Championship title in 1986.

Rundle, who played at UCLA in 1965-66, earned All-America honors as a Bruin and went on to serve as captain of the 1968 Olympic team. He played for a pair of conference championship teams at UCLA and was a member of the U.S. teams in the Pan Am Games and the World Games. Rundle, also an outstanding beach player, was a five-time MVP in the USVBA national championships from 1966-72.

Masakayan helped lead UCLA women's volleyball to the 1984 NCAA title and earned a spot on the 1988 U.S. Olympic team for the Seoul Games before embarking on a highly successful beach volleyball career. She won 26 events on the beach tour and was named the Best Defensive Player in the Women's Professional Volleyball Association in 1991 and 1992 and the Best Hitter in 1993 and 1994. Following her playing career, she helped to coach Elaine Youngs and Holly McPeak to a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Suwara was an Olympian in 1964 before playing for UCLA from 1965-67. He served as team captain of the Bruins in 1967 and played for three league championship squads. UCLA posted a 72-8 record during his college career.

Matthies, who played at UCLA in 1974-75, served as an assistant women's volleyball coach for the Bruins from 1977-83 under Andy Banachowski before embarking on her own record-setting head coaching career at Pepperdine. She then spearheaded a successful effort in the mid-80s to create the Women's Professional Volleyball Association. Matthies was inducted into the WPVA's Hall of Fame in 1995 and was honored as one of the "20 Legends of Beach Volleyball" in a ceremony at UCLA in 1997.

UCLA led in year one of the hall of fame selections with eight, so 14 of the first 40 selections of the first two years have Bruin associations. "We are very excited for our second SCIVBHOF induction class because of the volleyball history of the honorees going from the 1940s to present time," said Mike Gallups, President of the SCIVBHOF. "The selections for the first two years were definitely a challenge for our committee, but when you look at the HOF backgrounds, it is another amazing group that has done so much for the indoor game throughout Southern California, the USA and the World."

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Bruins Inducted into VB Hall of Fame

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Bruins Inducted into VB Hall of Fame

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