Former men’s volleyball head coach John Hawks has left the university, taking the head coach position at the University of California at Los Angeles. Hawks was the assistant head coach at UCLA before coming to Loyola.
Former men’s volleyball head coach John Hawks has left the university, taking the head coach position at the University of California at Los Angeles. Hawks was the assistant head coach at UCLA before coming to Loyola.
Former Loyola men’s volleyball head coach John Hawks has parted ways with the university and has accepted a job as the men’s volleyball head coach at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Hawks’ departure comes after leading the team for two seasons after being announced as the head coach by Loyola Athletics May 2, 2023. During his Loyola tenure, Hawks led the Ramblers to the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association semifinals in 2024 — where the Ramblers lost to Ohio State University in four sets — and an early first round exit in the MIVA tournament in 2023.
Loyola Athletics declined The Phoenix’s request for comment. Hawks didn’t respond to The Phoenix’s request for comment.
The Ramblers have faced UCLA under Hawks’ leadership once before, with the Bruins’ sweeping Loyola in three sets Jan. 13. UCLA then went on to become NCAA 2024 National Champions.
Under Hawks, the Ramblers ended their 2024 season with 12 sweeps and a 19-10 record. For the first time since 2013, Loyola earned the MIVA Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year accolades, with redshirt fourth-year outside hitter Parker Van Buren and second-year outside hitter Daniel Fabikovic receiving the awards.
Hawks was the first Loyola head coach to win the MIVA Coach of the Year in their first season at the helm, and led the Ramblers to a 23-7 finish and a share of the MIVA conference title in 2023.
Prior to coming to Loyola, Hawks was an assistant coach at UCLA for seven seasons where he was named American Volleyball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year.
Along with leading the Bruins to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, Hawks served as the coach for the U.S. National men’s team in 2019. This past summer, Hawks stepped into the coaching role again for the U21 team, earning a gold medal at the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation Championships.
Loyola was the first school Hawks was employed at outside of California. Before UCLA, Hawks had stints at Long Beach State University, University of Southern California and University of California, Irvine.
The men’s volleyball program has yet to name a replacement for Hawks, with their season set to begin just after the new year.
Get the Loyola Phoenix newsletter straight to your inbox!
