Hilo native named head coach for Vulcans women’s volleyball

Hilo-native Reed Sunahara was named the Vulcans women’s volleyball program’s eighth head coach.

University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Director of Athletics Patrick Guillen made the announcement Monday. Sunahara returns to the Big Island and collegiate volleyball after serving nine seasons as head coach at Division-I West Virginia University (2015-2023), where he helped lead the Mountaineers to their first-ever NCAA postseason appearance in 2021. Before that, he was also head coach at the State University of New York at Buffalo (2014), University of Cincinnati (2000-2011) and University of Toledo (1995-1996).

“We are thrilled to welcome Reed Sunahara to our University ‘ohana,” Guillen said. “We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber and pedigree as part of our team. The fact that he is a local boy from Hilo is just icing on the cake.”

During Sunahara’s time at Cincinnati, the Bearcats went 289-109 (.726) with eight NCAA postseason appearances and six conference championships (2000, 2001, 2003 Conference USA regular season; 2008, 2010 BIG EAST regular season; 2011 BIG EAST Tournament) while garnering conference Coach of the Year accolades in 2001, 2008 and 2010.

Overall, Sunahara has compiled 431 career wins, according to a press release from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

“First of all, I want to thank chancellor Bonnie Irwin, Melanie Brokaw, Kula Oda and Paul Regrutto for their time and getting me on board,” Sunahara said. “Hilo’s always been home to me, and it’s great to be back. I’m excited about this program and the future. I think we can do great things. It’s my hometown. I grew up here. I have a lot of family and friends that are here so I’m excited to start.”

A 1981 graduate of Hilo High School where he was a three-sport star in baseball, basketball and volleyball, Sunahara was heavily recruited by then-Vulcans Basketball coach Jimmy Yagi but ultimately chose to pursue volleyball at UCLA where he became a three-time NCAA Champion and two-time All-American — playing alongside Olympians Ricci Luyties, Doug Partie, Dave Saunders and AVP legend and current U.S. Olympic Team coach Karch Kiraly.

According to the university press release, Sunahara most recently served as an assistant coach with the Vegas Thrill during the Pro Volleyball Federation’s inaugural season in 2024. He’s also had coaching stints with USA Volleyball (2012) and the United States Women’s National Team (2013-2014) as an assistant.

Sunahara began his coaching career assisting the UCLA Men’s Volleyball program where they captured three more national titles in 1987, 1989 and 1993.

In 2018, he was inducted into the Big Island Sports Hall of Fame.

“Coach Sunahara brings an exceptional level of coaching expertise and a proven track record of success,” Guillen continued. “His strong local, national and international ties positions him well to recruit at high levels.

This, along with his fundamentally sound teaching and skill development, will be the formula for building a volleyball program that our entire community will be proud of. He embodies the values we hold dear in our athletics program: excellence, integrity and a commitment to developing student-athletes both on and off the court. We are confident coach Sunahara will lead our team to new heights and inspire our community with their passion and dedication.”

Sunahara has three children with his wife Laura. His oldest son Rex plays for the Cleveland Browns, and younger son RJ is a men’s basketball assistant coach at Nova Southeastern where he played and was named NABC Division II Player of the Year in 2022-23.