MOSCOW, Idaho ? Steve Whitaker has joined the University of Idaho volleyball program as an assistant coach. Whitaker will replace Mike Bryant, who accepted a similar position at the University of Pittsburgh last week.

“Steve will be a great fit and a great asset to our program,” Idaho coach Debbie Buchanan said. “He has a little bit of everything on his resume from club to a premier Division I teams in the University of Washington to head coaching experience at the community college level. His coaching ability will really be able to help us and he has worked and played with a lot of the best clubs throughout the area, which will go a long way to help with recruiting.”

Whitaker brings a plethora of coaching experience from various levels of competition. He was a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Washington and helped the Huskies to the 2005 NCAA National Championship. The team also made the Final Four in 2006. His longest tenure was as coach of the Kent Juniors Volleyball Club, a member of USA Junior Olympic Volleyball. He coached one of the top ranked club teams in the country for four seasons. Prior to that, Whitaker spent two years as head coach at Bellevue Community College. He earned NWAACC Coach of the Year honors in 1998 and led the previously winless program to a winning record in his first season at the helm.

“This opportunity is exciting in multiple ways,” Whitaker said. “Coach Buchanan is a great coach to work for and work with and I am excited about all of the great aspects of Idaho's volleyball program. It is a great opportunity for me and I look forward to coaching in this environment and growing as a coach.”

Whitaker also spent three seasons as a player-coach for the Seattle Athletic Club, a USA Men's Open squad. His team was the top ranked squad in the Puget Sound Region and placed in the top 10 in the nation at two consecutive Open National Tournaments.

In a previous position, Whitaker coached current Vandals Anna McKinney and Sarah Conwell, as well as former Vandal Stacy Sode.