Former Hilo High star and veteran Division I college volleyball coach Reed Sunahara has been named the Vulcans women’s volleyball program’s eighth head coach, it was announced by Hawaii Hilo Director of Athletics Patrick Guillen.
“We are thrilled to welcome Reed Sunahara to our university ‘ohana,” Guillen said in a release. “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.”
Sunahara returns to the Big Island and collegiate volleyball after serving nine seasons as head coach at West Virginia (2015-2023), where he helped lead the Mountaineers to their first-ever NCAA postseason appearance in 2021.
Prior to that, he was also head coach at the State University of New York at Buffalo (2014), Cincinnati (2000-2011) and Toledo (1995-1996).
During his 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). He was named conference Coach of the Year in 2001, 2008 and 2010. Overall, he has compiled 431 career wins.
“First of all, I want to thank chancellor Irwin, Melanie Brokaw, Kula Oda and Paul Regrutto for their time and getting me on board,” Sunahara said in a statement. “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.”
Sunahara was a three-sport star in baseball, basketball and volleyball for the Hilo Vikings. He graduated in 1981 and was heavily recruited by then-Vulcans basketball coach Jimmy Yagi.
Sunahara decided 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.
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 as an assistant with the United States Women’s National Team (2013-2014). Sunahara began his coaching career as an assistant with 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.”
Sunhara 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.
