CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini volleyball head coach Chris Tamas has announced the addition of his wife, Jen Tamas, as a volunteer assistant coach for the Illinois volleyball program.
Tamas (pronounced Thomas) joins her husband following volunteer assistant stints with him at Nebraska from 2015-2017 and at Cal Poly from 2013-14.
"Jen is the best volunteer coach in the country," said Chris Tamas. "Not only will she teach our team how to improve as players but more importantly, she will be an excellent role model. Her resume speaks for itself and the players will learn a lot from her experience as former All-American, professional player, and Olympian. Furthermore, I know she will have a great impact on their personal lives just as she has had on mine. She is an amazing coach, wife, mother and friend and I could not be more grateful adding her to our staff."
"I have always always admired the way Illinois has played," said Tamas. "Their players always hustle and compete with the best in the country. I look forward to working with the team and helping them take their game to the next level. It is an honor to be a part of this program."
The former Jen Joines was a four-time All-American middle blocker at Pacific (2000-03) and silver medalist with the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She played professionally for eight years in Japan, Italy, Russia, Azerbaijan and Puerto Rico and was the U.S. Women's National Team captain for four years.
As a middle blocker with the United States Women's National Team, Jen Tamas made more than 60 appearances in eight years while serving as captain for four years. Aside from assisting the U.S. to silver at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Tamas helped lift the country to gold at the 2012 Pan-American Cup.
She was the 2003 Big West Conference Player of the Year and 2000 Big West Freshman of the Year at Pacific, where she led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament each year. Tamas earned communications and business degrees at Pacific.
A native of Santa Clara, California, Tamas and her husband have two children, Jimmy and Josephine.
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