New UC Irvine coach Kniffin announces his first recruiting class

First-year UC Irvine head coach David Kniffin has signed his first two recruits.

UC Irvine announced last week that it signed high school seniors Tucker Pikula and Reid Dominguez to letters of national intent to join the Anteaters beginning in the 2014 season.

Pikula, a 6-foot-1-inch outside hitter from California, led his club team to a gold medal at the 2011 Junior National Tournament and was named the event’s most valuable player. In addition, he earned the All-Tournament Team honors at the most recent Junior National Tournament this summer.

Dominquez, a 6-foot-5-inch outside attacker from California, was a First-Team All-Trinity League selection last season. As a junior, he also was a team captain and the most valuable player of his high school team.

“There is no greater testament to the program, the culture and our tradition than to continue to bring in future players such as Reid and Tucker,” Kniffin said in a statement said. “Aside from the obvious talent, there is a humbleness and blue collar work ethic that emanates from both of them.”

Kniffin will begin his first season at UC Irvine, replacing John Speraw as the team’s head coach. Speraw left UC Irvine this summer to become the head coach at UCLA after leading the Anteaters to their third NCAA championship in the last six years.