University of Houston Athletics
Ron Arenz Hired As Volleyball Assistant Coach
5/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
HOUSTON - Houston Volleyball Head Coach Kaddie Platt announced the addition of Ron Arenz as the newest assistant coach for the program.
Arenz comes to Houston after serving as Head Volleyball Coach at the University of Akron (2008-2014).
"I was looking for the right fit when looking to fill the position," Platt said. "Knowledge of offensive systems and setter training, the ability to develop relationships with student-athletes and a great work ethic were at the top of the list.
"Ron is the perfect fit for the Houston Volleyball staff. He exceeds in all of these categories and so many people spoke highly of his character, work ethic and knowledge of the game."
Arenz coached seven years at Akron where he led the Zips to several Mid-American Conference tournament berths and some of the best seasons in the school's history. Akron exhibited the greatest single-season turnaround in the Mid-American Conference and of any Division I team in the country in 2012, posting a 12-win improvement from 2011 and recording its best overall record since 2003. Akron also advanced to the MAC Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in nine seasons as the No. 5 seed after it was picked to finish last in the league's preseason poll.
"When I met Kaddie and Jason, I knew instantly that I wanted to be a part of this staff," Arenz said. "Both Kaddie and Jason are great coaches and exceptional people. I'm excited for the direction that the program is heading and blessed to a part of the great things we're going to accomplish."
Prior to Akron, Arenz was the Head Coach at the University of West Alabama for two seasons (2007, 2008).
In just his second year at the helm, Arenz led the UWA program to a top 25 ranking in the CSTV/AVCA Division II poll for the first time in school history. Under his watch, the Tigers posted the fourth winning season in the program's 29-year history with a 27-6 record (8-4 Gulf South Conference).
Before taking the head job at UWA, Arenz held assistant positions with three Division I programs. He spent one season as an assistant coach at Michigan State University (2005-06), three seasons at Western Michigan (2002-04) and one season at the University of Denver (2001-02), all in the same capacity.
Arenz began his career in the volleyball hotbed of the west coast for the California Juniors Volleyball Club in Long Beach, Calif. Serving both as head and assistant coach, his California Juniors teams won multiple championships in the 18- and 16-under divisions of the Southern California Volleyball Association (SCVA).
During that time, Arenz trained nine U.S. Junior Olympic All-American players, two Volleyball Magazine Fab-50 players and one U.S. Junior National Team member. Following his stint with the California Juniors, Arenz coached for the Colorado Foothills VBC in Denver, Colo. and the Dead Frogs of Kalamazoo, Mich.
In 2001, he coached the Dead Frogs team to a Michigan Regional 16-under Championship. He was selected to coach Michigan's inaugural Lakeshore Region High Performance team in the 2005 USAV High Performance National Championships.
Arenz is a 1995 graduate of Long Beach State University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Geography. He also received his Master of Education from National University in 2002.
Arenz and his wife, Noelle, will reside in Houston. The couple has three sons, Jay, and twins, Kai and Christian.
