COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), in conjunction with Tachikara USA, Inc, is proud to announce that Matt Peck of the University of North Alabama has been selected as the 2003 Tachikara/AVCA Division II National Coach of the Year.

Peck led North Alabama to its eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament, capped with the school's first-ever NCAA Division II volleyball championship with a win over Concordia-St. Paul on Dec. 6, 2003. The Lions finished the season with a 33-7 overall record and 13-1 mark in the Gulf South Conference. UNA rebounded from a 6-5 start through Sept. 14 en route to the national championship.

UNA advanced to the 2003 Elite Eight as the South Central Region champions, the Lions' fourth region title. Peck's squad bounced back from a four-week hiatus from the AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll and climbed to 11th prior to the Elite Eight Tournament. The Lions, with three AVCA All-South Central Region players and an honorable mention pick, won 21 of their last 22 matches with the only blemish coming in the Gulf South Conference championship.

In nine seasons at North Alabama, Peck has placed the Lion volleyball program among the nation's elite in the NCAA Division II. He has led the Lions to an incredible 291-41 record over the last eight years that includes seven straight Gulf South Conference championships, eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances and four trips to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

Peck is the only coach in Gulf South Conference history to be selected as its coach of the year for three consecutive seasons (1996, 1997 and 1998), and has won the award four times overall. He compiled a 231-135 record with two NCAA tournament appearances (1987 and 1994) at Wayne State University (Mich.) from 1984-94. Peck holds an overall collegiate coaching record of 543-196 in 20 seasons.

Peck, a three-time AVCA South Central Region Coach of the Year (1998, 2000, 2003), is an active member of the AVCA. He has been a voting member on the AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll. Peck currently serves on the AVCA All-South Central Region Team Selection Committee and is a member of the AVCA Division II Head Coaches Committee.

A 1980 graduate of the University of Michigan with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology, Peck received his master's degree in physical education-sports administration from Wayne State (Mich.) in 1992.

Tachikara will formally present the AVCA National Coach of the Year award on Dec. 18 in Dallas at the AVCA/Tachikara Coach of the Year banquet. The brunch is held in conjunction with the 2003 AVCA Annual Convention.