Tamas Signs Contract Extension Through 2028-29 Academic Year
August 1, 2026 | Volleyball
NEWS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois volleyball head coach Chris Tamas has signed a contract extension that will run through the 2028-29 academic year.
"I'm incredibly honored and grateful to continue to lead Illinois volleyball and be a part of the Illinois athletics program as a whole," Tamas said. "I'd personally like to thank Josh Whitman for his outstanding leadership and vision for the department. I'd also like to thank Dr. Breanna Shamaila for her guidance to me and within our team.
"After a decade in Huff Hall with the Illini community, there is no place I'd rather be. From our passionate fans and supporters to our loyal alumni, this program has been special to me since the day I set foot on campus. I also have a tremendous amount of gratitude for my former and current staff, as well as the countless people who have worked with our program. Last but not least, I'd like to acknowledge my former and current players who have poured their hearts and souls out for the team and the game we all love.
"This has been an incredible journey with the Illini FamILLy, and my commitment to continue making this the best environment for our fans, staff, and players has never been stronger. With much love and appreciation…I-L-L!!!"
Tamas enters his 10th campaign as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program in 2026 after being named to the position in February 2017. Across his first nine seasons at the helm of the program, Tamas owns an overall record of 162-110 (.596), including a 98-80 (.551) mark in the nation's toughest volleyball league, the Big Ten Conference. He also has guided the Fighting Illini to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including three NCAA Regional appearances and a trip to the Final Four in 2018, while he has led the Orange and Blue to 10+ conference wins in seven of his nine seasons thus far.
During the 2025 campaign, Tamas earned his 150th career head coaching win when the Illini defeated Vanderbilt at the Sprouts Farmers Market Broadway Block Party on Aug. 31. Illinois' ranked road win on Sept. 28 at No. 10 Purdue marked the program's highest-ranked road victory since 2021. Following the season, Taylor de Boer and Kenna Phelan were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, while Alyssa Aguayo earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. De Boer and Ashlyn Philpot were tabbed with AVCA All-Region First Team status, and Phelan was an All-Region Honorable Mention selection.
The 2024 campaign marked the fifth NCAA Tournament appearance under Tamas' leadership. The Orange and Blue posted an 18-13 overall mark with a 10-10 conference record in the new 18-team Big Ten. Under Tamas' guidance, Raina Terry was named to the AVCA All-American Third Team. The outside hitter recorded an amazing final season with the Fighting Illini, closing out her career with 2,138 kills, 2,522.0 points, and 220 aces; all three marks rank first in the Illinois volleyball record book.
Tamas earned his 100th career win – all of which came at the helm of the Illini program – after leading Illinois to its third trip to the Round of 16 in five seasons after back-to-back wins to open the 2021 NCAA tournament, including a four-set win over 2020-21 national champion and No. 7 seed Kentucky in Lexington. The Illini concluded the 2021 season ranked No. 16 in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll with a 22-12 overall record and finished seventh with a 12-8 mark in the Big Ten Conference.
Illinois experienced one of its most successful seasons ever in 2018 under Tamas, who was named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Northeast Region Coach of the Year. The Illini made the program's fourth-ever appearance in the NCAA National Semifinals as the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament – riding a 17-match win streak into the Final Four – and ended the season ranked No. 3 in the 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 tied for the fourth-most wins in a season in program history.
Under Tamas' leadership, the Illini have collected a number of individual honors, highlighted by AVCA All-America First-Team selections in Jordyn Poulter and Jacqueline Quade – the first time in program history that Illinois has had multiple first-team honors in a season – as well as a Third Team selection in Ali Bastianelli. Poulter and Bastianelli, who also garnered All-America Third Team honors in 2017, were also named Senior CLASS Award finalists and CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees. The trio also collected unanimous All-Big Ten First Team accolades, with junior Ashlyn Fleming named to the Second Team and Poulter garnering the Illini's first-ever Big Ten Conference Co-Setter of the Year honor.
In his first season at Illinois – and his first-ever campaign as an NCAA Division I head coach – Tamas led the Illini back to the NCAA Regionals for the program's 17th Round of 16 appearance in its history. The Illini finished the 2017 season with a 23-11 overall record, including a fifth-place showing in the Big Ten Conference with a 12-8 mark as well as a final ranking of No. 17 in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
Tamas' 10th regular season gets underway on Aug. 28, when the Fighting Illini host Cincinnati at Huff Hall.
