Alfee Reft, a former All-America libero with the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball program, was named UCLA’s women’s volleyball coach on Monday.

Reft served as associate head coach at San Diego the past three years, and his hiring was announced four days after the Toreros completed a historic season with their first appearance in the national semifinals.

“I am honored and could not be more excited to lead such a historic and storied program like the one at UCLA,” Reft said in a release from the school. “The lineage of excellence is thick and runs deep, resting on the shoulders of our alumni who have laid a foundation of greatness for future generations to come.

Reft played for the Rainbow Warriors from 2004 to ’06 and was an AVCA first-team All-American in 2005, when he was also named the Asics/Volleyball magazine Defensive Player of the Year. He made the All-America second team in 2006. He went on to play with the U.S. national team and in a professional career in Europe.

He also serves as a seasonal assistant coach with the U.S. Women’s National Team on a staff led by Karch Kiraly, with Kalani alumna Tama Miyashiro serving as an assistant coach.

Reft reached the NCAA Tournament’s final four as an assistant coach at Illinois in 2018 and moved on to San Diego in 2020. The Toreros, who had early-season wins over UH the past two years, went 31-2 this season and rallied past Stanford on Dec. 10 to earn the program’s first trip to the national semifinals. They ended the season with a four-set loss to eventual national champion Texas last Thursday in Omaha, Neb.

Reft succeeds Michael Sealy as UCLA’s head coach. Sealy, who served as associate head coach with the UH women’s program from 2006 to ’09, stepped down on Dec. 1 after 13 years leading the Bruins. Sealy went 273-128 in his tenure and led UCLA to the 2011 national championship. UCLA went 16-13 this season and finished seventh in the Pac-12 at 10-10.