Louisiana Volleyball Adds Chris Nook to Coaching Staff

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Volleyball head coach Kristi Gray announced on Wednesday (March 27, 2024) the addition of Chris Nook as an assistant coach to the program's coaching staff.

Nook, a Wisconsin native, joins the Ragin' Cajuns following a pair of NCAA Tournament seasons on staff at Iowa State from 2022-23, serving as technical coordinator for player development. Nook's background working in Division I volleyball also includes stops at Marquette, Florida, FGCU, VCU and Milwaukee.

He will work with the team's offense, focusing on the outside hitters, for Louisiana when Gray begins her fourth year at the helm in the fall 2024 season.

"We are excited to welcome Chris (Nook) to our program as he will be a great addition to the staff," Gray said. "He has vast experience at Power 5 programs and brings a wealth of knowledge in the analytical space. His expertise will be a great resource for our offense and will help us keep elevating our program to new heights."

While in Ames, Iowa working with the Cyclones program, Nook handled video and scouting duties helping produce back-to-back 20-win seasons and a pair of Top 5 finishes in the highly competitive Big 12 Conference. ISU advanced to the NCAA Tournament both seasons highlighted by an appearance in the second round in the 2022 event.

Nook launched his coaching career with one-year stops at VCU in 2012 and FGCU in 2013 before returning to his native Wisconsin to serve as the Director of Operations/Technical Coordinator at Marquette in 2014.

His first foray in the Power 5 ranks followed the next three seasons at national powerhouse Florida. Nook was the technical coordinator while on the Gators staff in Gainesville, with the program reaching the National Championship match in 2017 and claiming a pair of SEC regular season titles.

Following the UF stint, Nook spent four seasons as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Arkansas Tech, the successful run culminating with a 22-8 record, GAC Tournament title and a trip to the 2021 NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships. During his time in Russellville, Arkansas, Nook helped guide ATU to a 62-39 record and saw the Golden Suns claim 11 all-conference selections.

A native of Franklin, Wisconsin, Nook graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in political science and earned a MBA from Southern New Hampshire University.

ABOUT LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns (19-13, 9-7 SBC) posted their third consecutive winning mark under the guidance of head coach Kristi Gray during the fall 2023 season. UL posted its highest win total of Gray's tenure, totaling 19 victories, and claimed an SBC Tournament win for the third consecutive season.

Balance was the key to the Cajuns success offensively and defensively, with five players posting 150-plus kills and four players collecting 200-plus digs, directed by the efforts of setter Siena DeCambra and libero Mio Yamamoto, both All-Sun Belt selections. Yamamoto was named the SBC Libero of the Year.

For the second consecutive season Gray's exciting up-tempo style of volleyball drew record numbers to E.K. Long Gym, the Cajuns setting the total attendance mark for a single season once again drawing 7,219 over the 11-match home slate.

FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
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- www.RaginCajuns.com -

Louisiana Volleyball Adds Chris Nook to Coaching Staff

Players Mentioned

Siena DeCambra

Mio Yamamoto

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