Evan Silberstein no longer needs to include the prefix to his job title.
After serving as the interim head coach of the University of Hawaii beach volleyball program for close to a year, Silberstein was officially named to the full-time position on Friday.
“There’s a big sense of relief and it’s a huge opportunity for me to lead the program and continue to guide the student-athletes,” said Silberstein, a Big West Co-Coach of the Year last season.
“I’m fired up. I love coaching beach volleyball. I love representing UH and it really is a life’s work for me at this point to be doing what I do in Hawaii. … It’s a special opportunity in a special place and a really special group of athletes that I get to work with and all together it’s like a dream come true.”
Silberstein’s first season as the BeachBows’ full-time head coach will be his ninth in the program.
Silberstein joined the UH coaching staff in 2015 as a part-time assistant under former head coach Jeff Hall. He progressed to a full-time assistant and retained the post when Angelica Ljungqqvist, the associate coach with the Wahine indoor program, was named beach head coach in August 2020.
Silberstein was installed as interim head coach when Ljungqvist returned home to Sweden last July.
He led the BeachBows to a 24-17 record overall, a runner-up finish in the Big West tournament and a return to the NCAA championship in Gulf Shores, Ala., after a year’s absence from the national tournament. UH finished the year ranked 13th in the final AVCA coaches poll.
Silberstein still had to go through the process of applying and interviewing for the head coach position following the season, all while continuing to perform the job’s duties.
“I employed as much positive imagery as I possibly could around the outcome, “ he said. “And while I was confident, nothing is certain until we we’re able to come to an agreement.
“I thought (athletic director David Matlin and associate AD Lois Manin) and the team did a really nice job in opening the position and clearly communicating with me all the steps along the way and eventually offering and cinching up the deal.”
Now that the process is complete, Silberstein is continuing to work on recruiting for future classes and organizing camps and clinics for the community. He’s also looking to set up a fall trip in October and UH was awarded a berth into the inaugural AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Championships, a pairs tournament set for Nov. 4-6 in Huntsville, Ala.
Silberstein will continue his work with a UH roster slated to return nine players from last season’s five starting pairs, including the All-America duo of Kaylee Glagau and Brooke Van Sickle. Van Sickle, who competed with the U.S. Beach Collegiate National Team last month, and Glagau were also named the Big West Pair of the Year.
“Overall we’ve been in the mix the whole time — what’s amazing is how deep the mix is,” said Silberstein, who has been a part of three Big West championships and six postseason appearances at UH.
“Everything about beach volleyball is growing right now, so I’m proud of the fact that we’ve been able to stay in the mix and we’re excited for what the next couple of years are going to bring and we’re ready to get to work in the fall.”
