By Annie Walker

SAN DIEGO, CA – The San Diego Pro Volleyball Federation team announced the hiring of three-time Olympian and two-time silver medalist Tayyiba Haneef-Park as the team’s first head coach. Haneef-Park comes to San Diego after spending the 2022 season as an assistant coach with the University of Oregon, helping to lead the Ducks to a second-place finish in the Pac-12 with a program-record 17 conference wins.

The San Diego team is owned by three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings.

“It is an honor and a privilege to welcome Tayyiba Haneef-Park as the head coach of our team,” said Walsh Jennings. “Tayibba is a champion through and through whose passion, dedication, and outstanding character will not only powerfully guide our athletes, but will also greatly inspire our community. Tayyiba is a bit of a unicorn and her on-court and off-court experience will be a priceless asset to our franchise. I look forward to working with Tayyiba with an eye on greatness and the intention to be perennial championship contenders.”

Prior to her stint with Oregon, Haneef-Park was an assistant coach in 2021 for the USA Volleyball Women’s Collegiate National Team with additional duties as head coach of the U17/18 Girls USA National Team Development program. That same year she served as director of sport for Athletes Unlimited and as a head coach in the league. In 2019, Haneef-Park was head coach of Team USA at the NORCECA Continental Championships and an assistant coach at the Pan American Cup.

“This is an amazing opportunity and I am so excited to be able to be a part of the vision and the culture Kerri is building in San Diego,” Haneef-Park said. “San Diego has a thriving volleyball community and this league is exactly what the sport needs to be able to continue its growth. I have seen so many players decide not to pursue playing professionally because of the lack of opportunities in the United States. Now we will be able provide those opportunities and build a legacy for players in America, and I just can’t wait to get started building a champion in San Diego.”

Haneef-Park is a Southern California native and was a 2001 AVCA First-Team All-American for Long Beach State after guiding the team to a 33-1 record and national runner-up finish. That season, she hit .406 while averaging 5.03 kills per set. In 1998, Haneef-Park was a redshirt freshman on the LBSU team that posted a perfect 36-0 record and won the NCAA Championship.

During her collegiate career, she was also a three-time All-American high jumper for LBSU and competed at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials. Haneef-Park earned a degree in speech communications (2001) and was inducted into the LBSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.

Haneef-Park has previous experience within the Pac-12 as an assistant coach for the beach volleyball team at the University of Arizona (2014-16). She has also served as the head coach at Laguna Hills High School where she was a three-sport standout during her prep career.

Those interested in learning more about the new San Diego Pro Volleyball Federation franchise or becoming a player, sponsor, or partner can visit www.sandiegoprovb.com.

ABOUT PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION
Pro Volleyball Federation is REAL pro volleyball and the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. Pro Volleyball Federation will begin play in February 2024 with world class players and coaches, including some of America’s greatest volleyball players and elite players from around the world. Our entire focus is on ensuring that our level and quality of play, our treatment of players, the quality of our event presentations, and our day-to-day fan experience is world class and the very best offered in North America. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.

COURTESY SAN DIEGO MOJO COMMUNICATIONS