Volleyball

During the 2011-12 year, Steve Santonastaso begins his seventh season at Rhode Island and his second as the Rams Associate Head Coach.

Santonastaso is a leader, a teacher, and an innovator. He shares all the duties of running the volleyball program with the head coach, including recruiting, player development, floor coaching, travel, budget and academics.

"Steve is the most qualified candidate that I have hired as the top assistant since I've been here," said Schneck. "He brings a wealth of experience, has won national championships in junior Olympics, and had success at the high school level. Steve will really be able to contribute on the floor in teaching, which will help with the large group of newcomers we have this year. He's a teacher and that's what we need."

After graduating from Rhode Island in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education with a concentration in athletic training, Santonastaso headed west to earn his masters in athletic training at San Jose State University.

Prior to returning to his alma mater for the 2005 season, Santonastaso spent 12 years in the volleyball hotbed of California, where he was the head varsity coach at Presentation High School in San Jose. Starting in 1998, he led the team to four consecutive Central Coast Section championships as well as a win at the Northern California championship in 2002. In his eight years at Presentation, Santonastaso coached 11 players who earned scholarships to Division I institutions.

Santonastaso was also involved with junior Olympic club volleyball, serving as a City Beach Volleyball Club head coach since 1997 and as the club's associate director since 1998. While coaching City Beach, he led the club to a gold medal at the USA Volleyball Junior Olympics in 2002, a silver in 2004 and a bronze in 2001. He coached nine junior national All-Americans and 14 players who signed Division I scholarships, including seven who developed into All-Americans.

A Cranston, R.I. native, Santonastaso played on the boy's volleyball team in its first year of existence at Cranston East High. He went on to pursue his undergraduate degree from Rhode Island while playing setter and right side hitter in a Rhody uniform on the men's club volleyball team from 1990-93.

He helped the Rams to a second-place finish at the 1993 National Club Volleyball Championships in Austin, Texas, and was a part of back-to-back New England Collegiate Volleyball League championships in 1990 and 1991, earning the NECVL Most Valuable Player award in 1991. He also helped lead the Rams to a pair of Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association titles in 1992 and 1993.