Ken Preston returned to the Westmont coaching staff during the 2011 season after serving as the UC Santa Barbara men’s volleyball head coach from 1979-2008. In his 30 year career at the helm of the Gaucho program, Preston accumulated a record of 516-381 (.575). In 1988, Preston took the Gauchos to the NCAA championship game and was named the Men’s Volleyball Collegiate Coach of the Year.
Preston served as head coach at Westmont during the 1989 and 1990 seasons, accumulating a record of 49-18 (.731). During the 1990 campaign, Preston took the Warriors to the quarterfinals of the NAIA national championships and was named the NAIA Western Region Coach of the Year. Preston also coached at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (men, 1975-77), Cuesta Community College (women, 1976-77) and Wright State (men, 1978).
Internationally, Preston served as an apprentice coach for two U.S. Men’s National Team World Championship squads (Italy in 1978, Argentina in 1982), and assistant coach twice (World University Games in Mexico in 1979, Pan-American Games in Venezuela in 1983). He was the head coach for the U.S. Men’s World University Games team in Japan in 1985 and served as the technical advisor for the USA Men’s Olympic Team in Sydney, Australia in 2000.
Preston, who was inducted into the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame in May of 2011, has also held administrative positions representing the United States in international competition, including Head of Delegation for the USA Men’s World University Games in 2004 in Turkey, USA Men’s National Team, World League in Japan in 2007 and China in 2009 and as the techincal advisor for USA Men’s National Team in the Pan Am Cup in Mexico in 2006.
Preston holds a Masters of Science in physical education from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Bachelor of Arts in social science from UC Santa Barbara. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife Beth. They have three daughters – Brooke, Courtney and Sarah.
