Alfred Reft begins his second season with the Fighting Illini in 2019 after being named an assistant coach for the Illinois volleyball program on March 26, 2018.
In his first season with the Illini, Reft had a major impact on the team's floor defense and passing, helping lead Illinois to the program’s fourth-ever appearance in the NCAA National Semifinals as the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament and ended the season ranked No. 3 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Poll. The team registered a 32-4 overall record and finished in second place in the Big Ten Conference with a 17-3 mark, with the 32 victories ranking tied for fourth-most wins in school history.
Reft comes to Illinois after spending two years serving as a volunteer for the USA Women’s and Men’s National teams and assisted in the running of daily practices with technical feedback to players, while also working as assistant director and head coach of Team Rockstar Volleyball Club from 2014-18, where he organized club training methodologies and managed teams, parents and season duties for the club.
He was also the founder of Peak Volleyball Academy, where he developed and created a company that focused on training and development of multi-level and skill volleyball athletes from 2015-18.
Reft started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant with the University of Minnesota from 2010-12, where he helped develop training plans, worked with recruiting and match prep and helped lead UM to a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.
Prior to joining the Gophers, Reft served as a coach for the TCA Volleyball Club from 2006-08, before moving to the Laguna Beach Volleyball Club from 2008-10.
A member of the USA Men’s National Team from 2006-10 and 2012-15, Reft was on the roster for the FIVB World Championship and the FIVB World League in 2010. He was also part of the Silver Medal team at the NORCECA Continental Championships in 2009 and also part the FIVB World League roster that year.
In 2008, Reft was an alternate for the US Men's Olympic Team that won the Gold Medal in Beijing. He was also the designated libero for the U.S. National Team when they won the Gold Medal at the Pan-American Cup in 2008 and played in every match at the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand where the USA National Team claimed a Bronze Medal.
As a professional, Reft competed for seven years with clubs in Budva, Montenegro (2007-08), Lisbon, Portugal (2008-10) and Montpellier, France (2012-13). In 2008, Reft helped his club win the European Cup Bronze Medal.
A standout libero for the University of Hawaii from 2004-06, Reft was named an AVCA First-Team All-America as well as Asics/Volleyball Magazine Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 after totaling 272 digs and set a new Hawaii single-season record with 2.67 digs per set. He also earned AVCA Second-Team All-America honors in 2006 following his senior season. Reft transferred to Hawai'i in 2004 from UC Santa Barbara and became the starting libero for the Warriors. That year, he sent the school-record for digs in the rally-scoring era for Hawai'i with 238.
A native of Oxnard, Calif., Reft graduated the University of Hawai'i with a bachelor’s degree in English in 2006 and is married to Matthew Ryan Pest.
Updated January 2019
