A History of the Chicago Coast Club Team

Chicago Coast is a non-profit men’s volleyball team that has been a member of the Great Lakes Region of USA Volleyball for over 16 years. The United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) started in 1928 and is now known as USA Volleyball (USAV). The Association is the national governing body for the sport of volleyball and the parent organization of the USA Men’s and Women’s National Teams.

Great Lakes Region logo The Great Lakes Region, in association with USAV, sponsors tournaments throughout the Chicagoland area. With two teams, Chicago Coast North and South, the club competes in sanctioned events locally and nationally in men’s “A/AA” and “BB” divisions.

Team Huddle Coast North consists of twelve former NCAA Division I & II varsity and club volleyball players from the Chicago and Los Angeles areas. Some of the volleyball programs represented on Chicago Coast are: DePaul University, Dominican University, Cal State Northridge, University of Illinois, Vanderbilt University, Northern Illinois University, UCLA, and Pierce Community College.

"Chicago Coast" was coined by Jim Kepka and Tom Flaherty when the club was started in 1992. Back in the day, both Jim and Tom spent every summer weekend playing ball at North Avenue Beach. Consequently, they chose "Chicago Coast" to reflect the Midwest's most beautiful coast and to help transfer the spirit of the outdoor game to the indoor game. Over the past 16 years, the club members have kept that spirit alive by never losing site of the fact that while it can be played with passion, volleyball is a game that should always be fun.

In addition to Jim and Tom, other members of Chicago Coast have come from a diverse crowd of players with a wide variety of personalities and skills. While several of the founding members have long since retired from USAV, many have simply moved down from "A" and are now proud to represent Chicago Coast at the "BB" level.

Chicago Coast North, the A level team, has a long tradition of competitiveness within the region and at Nationals. For seven consecutive years, from 2001-2007, Coast won the Regional Championships; the streak ended in 2008 with a second place finish. In addition, Coast took second place at the 2007 Zonal Championships competing against teams from all over the Midwest. At the USAV National Championships, Coast has had several noteworthy finishes: 2nd in 1996, 3rd in 2001, 3rd in 2004, 9th in 2005, 12th in 2008, and 5th in 2009.

As for Chicago Coast South, or "The Old Guys" as we North players like to call them, they are a force to be reckoned with. Having thoroughly dominated the BB division in the Great Lakes Region for over a decade, they tend to win most regional tournaments they enter and have even been known to beat many an "A" and some "AA" level teams. At Nationals, Coast South is very competitive, most recently finishing 9th in 2006, 2nd in 2007, and 1st in 2009.


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A History of the Chicago Coast Club Team Chicago Coast is a non-profit men’s volleyball team that has been a member of the Great Lakes Region of USA Volleyball for over 16 years. The United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) started in 1928 and is now known as USA Volleyball (USAV). The Association is the national governing body for the sport of volleyball and the parent organization of the USA Men’s and Women’s National Teams. The Great Lakes Region, in association with USAV, sponsors tournaments throughout the Chicagoland area. With two teams, Chicago Coast North and South, the club competes in sanctioned events locally and nationally in men’s “A/AA” and “BB” divisions. Coast North consists of twelve former NCAA Division I & II varsity and club volleyball players from the Chicago and Los Angeles areas. Some of the volleyball programs represented on Chicago Coast are: DePaul University, Dominican University, Cal State Northridge, University of Illinois, Vanderbilt University, Northern Illinois University, UCLA, and Pierce Community College. "Chicago Coast" was coined by Jim Kepka and Tom Flaherty when the club was started in 1992. Back in the day, both Jim and Tom spent every summer weekend playing ball at North Avenue Beach. Consequently, they chose "Chicago Coast" to reflect the Midwest's most beautiful coast and to help transfer the spirit of the outdoor game to the indoor game. Over the past 16 years, the club members have kept that spirit alive by never losing site of the fact that while it can be played with passion, volleyball is a game that should always be fun. In addition to Jim and Tom, other members of Chicago Coast have come from a diverse crowd of players with a wide variety of personalities and skills. While several of the founding members have long since retired from USAV, many have simply moved down from "A" and are now proud to represent Chicago Coast at the "BB" level. Chicago Coast North, the A level team, has a long tradition of competitiveness within the region and at Nationals. For seven consecutive years, from 2001-2007, Coast won the Regional Championships; the streak ended in 2008 with a second place finish. In addition, Coast took second place at the 2007 Zonal Championships competing against teams from all over the Midwest. At the USAV National Championships, Coast has had several noteworthy finishes: 2nd in 1996, 3rd in 2001, 3rd in 2004, 9th in 2005, 12th in 2008, and 5th in 2009. As for Chicago Coast South, or "The Old Guys" as we North players like to call them, they are a force to be reckoned with. Having thoroughly dominated the BB division in the Great Lakes Region for over a decade, they tend to win most regional tournaments they enter and have even been known to beat many an "A" and some "AA" level teams. At Nationals, Coast South is very competitive, most recently finishing 9th in 2006, 2nd in 2007, and 1st in 2009.