L-W East's Fiore Named Boys' Volleyball Coach Of The Year

FRANKFORT, IL — Lincoln-Way East High School boys' volleyball head coach Kris Fiore was named Boys' High School Coach of the Year by Volleyball magazine. Fiore has led the Griffins to the championship game of the IHSA tournament the past two seasons, winning the title this year.

“When you get to the state tournament, experience is a huge factor,” he told the magazine. “The kids returning had been part of that team and a good chunk of those 10 kids played in that game. They had a lot of motivation, and they knew what to expect. They wanted to get it done.”

Fiore has coached the Griffins for nine years, and he's helmed the girls' team for the past two years. A grad of Lincoln-Way High School and Iowa State University, he got his first coaching job at South Hamilton High School in Jewell, Iowa.

“He had consistently coached his teams to high levels and had developed one of the best programs in the state," Lincoln-Way East Athletics Director Mark Vander Kooi said in a statement. "Kris’s rapport with his student-athletes and his ability to maintain his team’s focus and confidence through adversity is why his teams perform so well in the big matches. We are very happy for Kris."

Fiore, whose 2014 team also won a state title, told Volleyball magazine that two factors have led to the success of the L-W East program. His teams have benefited from the grade school volleyball programs, as well as Frankfort's Ultimate Volleyball Club. He also lauded his coaching staff.

"I’ve been blessed as a coach to have a consistent staff the last three or four years at the varsity and lower levels," he told Volleyball magazine. "That consistency year in and year out gives us a good formula. The kids have bought into our approach, and they see this success coming into high school and want to play boys’ volleyball at Lincoln-Way East and be a part of a program that has a lot of success. We’ve also been blessed with kids who work hard and kids who are talented.”

Go to Volleyball magazine for more about the honor.

Kris Fiore (Photo via Lincoln-Way East High School | Lincoln-Way High School District 210)